Gilas Pilipinas Women’s head coach BT Toews. Photo from Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.MANILA — Gilas Pilipinas Women face a tough test before entering the quarterfinals of the 5-on-5 tournament of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with the Philippines set to close its group-stage campaign against Japan.
READ: Gilas Women book quarterfinals spot, dominate Hong Kong
Both unbeaten in Group B after defeating Kazakhstan and Hong Kong, the Philippines and Japan will battle on Thursday for the top seed in their group.
Aside from being a much-anticipated matchup, the game will also be a sentimental one for Gilas head coach BT Toews, who is set to face a program and country he knows well.
The Canadian mentor spent more than three decades in the Land of the Rising Sun, playing and coaching professional basketball in Japan before being tapped as Gilas Women’s head coach.
For the 60-year-old, the matchup is a homecoming he relishes.
“This is not just [where I spent] my last coaching assignment. This is my life here, 35 years in Japan,” said Toews after their 90-73 win over Hong Kong on Sunday. “It’s really nice to come home.”
Toews first played in Japan in the early 1990s for Kuroda Electric before returning in 2011 to serve as head coach of the Hyogo Storks in the Japan B.League.
He then had stints as an assistant with Fujitsu Red Waves before taking over as head coach of the Hitachi SunRockers Tokyo Shibuya and Toyama Grouses from 2013 to 2018.
In 2018, he returned to Fujitsu, this time as head coach of its women’s team, steering the squad to championships before ending his tenure in 2025.
Toews, however, said his history with Japan will be put aside once the game starts, with his focus now on helping Gilas reach levels it has not reached before.
“It takes on a different kind of feeling for me, but when the game comes, I'll be completely focused and probably acting like a crazy man on the sidelines, trying to do this and that,” he said.
Japan is seeking redemption after losing to China in the Finals of the last Asiad, but Toews is confident that the Philippines can go head-to-head with the continental powerhouse.
“Nobody can say that there's no way we can win, right? We can definitely win this game,” he said. “But we're going to need a better performance.”