MANILA (Philippines) - The Philippines women's basketball national team had come so close to winning the gold medal at the Southeast Asia (SEA) Games in 2015, the first under head coach Patrick Aquino. If only they could have just beaten Indonesia instead of taking a 5-point loss, they could have won their first gold medal.

Putting them in big competitions, playing against the best teams in the region just pushed us to be better and better. It helped us playing in tough situations - Pat Aquino

In 2017, they fell just short once again, and the only thing separating Gilas Pilipinas Women, and a championship run was merely a 4-point loss to Malaysia. It was in 2017 when Patrick Aquino said as reported by ABS-CBN: "Probably, that's the end of the jinx for women's basketball. Not here, but two years from now."

Two years later, from that moment, coach Aquino was finally standing at the top of the podium with his team. It was the Philippines' first-ever gold medal in women's basketball at the SEA Games, and that winning moment was indescribable for the proud coach who took over the program 4-years ago.

"I can't explain it," Aquino said. "It was like a dream. I was just so so happy and elated. All the sacrifices were worth it. I'm thankful for everyone that stood by us and supported us, especially after those two heartbreaking editions."

Aquino continued to emphasize on "sacrifice" as the keyword for the victory. Whether it was Jack Animam, who scored 21 points on 9-10 shooting in the last game against Thailand, or Afril Bernardino, who was the workhorse that led the team in rebounding, they have all had to make sacrifices over the past few years. They have had to spend most of the time throughout nearly the whole calendar year in training and competition mode, and it has resulted in this success story..

"I think success is synonymous to sacrifice. The journey was full of sacrifices," said Aquino. "At the start of the year, we set our sights to that elusive SEA Games gold [medal]. We played a lot of international games this year. A lot of them ended in losses, but with our eyes on the prize, everyone was more relentless and hungrier. We just worked our way to the top."

Aside from other pocket tournaments here and there, the Philippines also played in two major stages before the SEA Games tilt in the FIBA Women's Asia Cup in India and the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in New Zealand. Their only win in those two competitions was a 92-78 against hosts India at the FIBA Women's Asia Cup in Bengaluru.

However, getting the opportunity to go up against the top-level nations in women's basketball like China, Australia, and Korea gave them an edge against their neighboring rivals at the SEA Games.

"[It was] a big advantage for us," Aquino admitted. "Everyone knows we have a young line up; almost half of the team is new. Putting them in big competitions, playing against the best teams in the region just pushed us to be better and better. It helped us playing in tough situations. It was also a way for us to build great and strong camaraderie."

"We had two close games in the SEA Games, one against defending champion," he added. "A young team is likely to succumb to all the pressure, but the girls showed character and pulled through."

"I think that playing those high-level games paid off."

The Philippines will be getting even more opportunities against prominent opponents down the road as the new competition system for women's basketball formally came into effect this November. Similar to how the Philippines had to go through the Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament to advance closer to qualifying for the Olympics 2020, teams will also have to go through Pre-Qualifying and Qualifying Tournaments to make it to the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in 2022 as well. It's an excellent opportunity to add more challenging and exciting games to the calendar of these teams.

"I feel great about it," Aquino said of the new competition system. "We have equal chances of going to the big events and more games. That means more exposure and experience."

The Philippines have made their way upwards in women's basketball by flat out consistently playing to get better and better. They already have a historic SEA Games gold medal to show for their efforts. How much further can they climb the ranks in women's basketball from here with the opportunities ahead?

FIBA