MANILA (Philippines) - By now, you have probably heard about the kid that hit a game-winner of historic proportions for the Philippines on her birthday during the recent FIBA U16 Women's Asia Cup 2025 in Malaysia.
It’s always important to enjoy the game that you love.
Tiffany Reyes, on the very day she turned 15, knocked down a gutsy mid-range jumper to beat the buzzer and tow Gilas Girls past Korea, 77-75, to give the program its first-ever win in Division A of the biennial contest.
"It feels amazing to hit the game-winner on my birthday. It's my first one, so it’s definitely gonna be very memorable," reflected Reyes, who finished with 16 points mainly behind a quartet of triples.
Subsequently, netizens online went into a frenzy especially the moment FIBA's official social media channels posted the clutch play, with many left in awe of the maturity she displayed beyond her years.
Take a quick look at her Instagram page and you'd see a photo sequence of that sweet moment - her very own version of 'The Shot,' which was actually posted by no one else but her proud dad, former pro Jay-R Reyes.
Her father, who spent 14-plus seasons in the Philippine Basketball Association, was the very figure that inspired her to play basketball when she was just three. Twelve years later and she's the one making headlines.
Along with it, though, comes the lofty expectations, with not a few believing that she could be the next big thing to come out of the Gilas Youth program - or, perhaps, of a country that lives and breathes the game.
Is she, though?
It may be too harsh to put so much weight on her shoulders, but what we can all agree upon is that Tiff has herself a future so bright, one that could potentially bring her to the biggest of stages if she continues.
Maybe years from now, she could be sharing the floor against the same stars that offered her nuggets of wisdom when SLAM Philippines spoke to the likes of Breanna Stewart and Paige Bueckers, to name some.
Maybe, she could even be helping Team Philippines reach unprecedented heights particularly in the FIBA stage, such as the Women's Basketball World Cup in which the country has yet to make a breakthrough appearance.
We can discuss all kinds of paths she could take and whatnot but lest we forget that she has just turned 15 and for now, she's grounded and focused on laying down the foundation of the kind of career she envisions to have.
In fact, Reyes has already taken a major step by bringing her talents from Manila to the USA. From suiting up for De La Salle-Zobel, the 1.87 M (6'1") guard has since transferred to Sycamore High School.
Also, she's been competing in the Amateur Athletic Union or more known as the AAU circuit as part of the West Virginia Thunder UAA program - that, after accepting their invitation back in September of last year.
All these, of course, are part of her aspirations of garnering interest from schools playing in Division 1 of the US NCAA, which if she succeeds would be historic as well for Philippine basketball.
And probably in the next two to three years, she'd still be seeing action in FIBA youth competitions - the recent U16 Women's Asia Cup held in the city of Seremban was already her second stint in the said stage.
In case you're wondering, she made her FIBA debut during the 2024 U18 Women's Asia Cup in Shenzhen, China, as part of the batch that ruled Division B to earn the promotion to Division A for the 2026 edition.
Indeed, Reyes has so much basketball in the coming years.
However, as she has said previously, she's simply trying to enjoy all of it as much as she can. "I’m just having fun and learning at the same time," said Tiff, who debuted for the Gilas Girls at only 14 years young.
Still, we will all be watching.
FIBA