NEW Gilas Pilipinas women’s head coach Burke “BT” Toews is drawing from a decade of experience in Japan as he seeks to raise the level of women’s basketball in the Philippines.
Toews, who took over from longtime head coach Patrick Aquino after his 12-year stint with the women’s national team, is preparing Gilas for the 2026 FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico, from Aug. 17 to 23.
Two months into his tenure, Toews said his experience with Japan’s Fujitsu franchise, where he coached for 10 years and won back-to-back Women’s League championships in 2024 and 2025, will help shape his approach with Gilas.
“We’re using it (Japanese style). I won’t say as a blueprint. I will use my team more as a blueprint,” Toews told the media.
“To me, my team at Fujitsu, where I coached for 10 years, plays not much different than the national team.”
Toews has long been familiar with Philippine basketball and believes the country already has the individual talent needed to compete.
“It shouldn’t be news to anybody. I think that the players’ individual offensive skill is very good. In some ways, it’s better than the Japanese players’ individual skill,” he said.
The difference, according to Toews, is Japan’s emphasis on collective play.
“But the Japanese, to make a direct comparison, play with the team in every sense. They sprint together, they play defense together, they’re all in charge of stopping the ball, they’re all on a string.”
Japan has established itself as one of the world’s top women’s basketball programs, ranked No. 3 in Asia and Oceania and No. 10 globally by FIBA.
The Philippines, meanwhile, reached a historic high of No. 30 in the world under Aquino.
Toews acknowledged that Gilas will face an immediate challenge in Mexico, particularly with the absence of key players Sumayah Sugapong and Naomi Panganiban.
“We have a big hole with Sumayah and Naomi not being here. That’s the two positions, and they happen to be our best shooters as well,” he said.
“Even though we’re a smaller team, I feel like the shooting level is still low.”
Rather than encouraging volume shooting, Toews wants Gilas to become more selective and efficient from beyond the arc.
“They’re not shy about taking them, but what we really want is efficient three-point shots, not just jacking shots up and hoping we can survive it to the fourth quarter,” he said.
Gilas will hold a training camp in Las Vegas on August 9 before flying to Mexico for the Olympic pre-qualifiers.
