Perlas Pilipinas wants Asiad stint, eyes taller players

Perlas Pilipinas celebrates after securing the gold medal with a 77-73 win over host Malaysia in the 2016 Seaba Women’s Championship Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Perlas Pilipinas is eyeing bigger goals after conquering the best teams in the Southeast Asian Basketball Association.

“Our next target is the Southeast Asian Games,” said Perlas coach Patrick Aquino. “If we win the gold there, then it could hopefully be our ticket to the Asian Games.”

The Philippine women’s basketball team hasn’t been to the Asian Games and hopes to get there by recruiting foreign players with Filipino roots or a naturalized player.

“We need tall players, so we can match up in the Asian level,” said Aquino during yesterday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association forum at Shakey’s Malate. “If you look at China, it has three players standing at least 6-foot-7 and guards who are at least six feet.”

Kuala Lumpur will host next year’s SEA Games prior to the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.

According to Aquino, the average height of Perlas Pilipinas is 5-8 and there’s a pressing need for length in order to keep up with China or even Japan, currently the continent’s No. 1 in women’s basketball.

Aquino will fly to the US in December to scout for tall players with Filipino lineage and convince them to play for Perlas Pilipinas, a team supported by Blackwater team owner Dioceldo Sy.