By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The long wait is finally over for the Gilas Pilipinas women’s national hoops squad.
Vanessa De Jesus, a Filipina hooper who stunned the US after an impressive ACC campaign with the Duke University Blue Devils, is set to wear the Gilas jersey for the first time confirmed last June 14, 2023.
The good news came after the five-foot-eight guard recently obtained her Philippine passport last March and is now a qualified naturalized player for Gilas.
De Jesus will be making her debut in the upcoming FIBA Women’s Asia Cup from June 26-July 2 in Sydney, Australia.
“I am thrilled for the opportunity to suit up for the Philippines National Team. Two of the most important things in my life are family and basketball and through this opportunity, I will be able to represent both,” said De Jesus.
The decision is also approved by Duke University head coach Kara Lawson who said that this experience will not only help De Jesus gain more exposure but also this will be a huge help to the Blue Devils in the long run.
“I’m thrilled that Vanessa will have this opportunity to represent The Philippines on the world stage,” said Lawson.
De Jesus first took the US by storm after an incredible performance during the 2020-2021 ACC basketball tournament.
The crafty scoring guard wasted no time flirting her deep offensive bag and quickly became one of the most reliable scorers of the Blue Devils.
Before getting selected by Duke, De Jesus was an All-CIF Open Division 1st team, the Gold Coast League MVP, and an All-CIF Southern Section Co-Player of the Year in 2019.
De Jesus will look to boost PHL’s chances of pulling off a great bracket run against Australia, Japan, and Chinese-Taipei when the FIBA Asia Cup begins.
