Afril Bernardino did not just help Gilas Pilipinas Women make history in Singapore. She drove it.
The 30-year-old veteran was named to the All-Star Team of the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2026 after leading the Philippines to a historic silver medal finish at OCBC Square in Kallang—the best result ever recorded by a Philippine team, men’s or women’s, at the continental tournament.
Bernardino finished the tournament with 23 points and a player valuation of 36.7—fourth-highest in the entire competition. She averaged 4.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game across five matches, numbers that do not fully capture how central she was to everything Gilas did in Singapore.
She was joined on the All-Star Team by China’s Zhang Zhiting, who led all scorers with 38 points and posted the tournament’s highest player valuation at 39.4, and Australia’s Kristy Wallace, who earned MVP honors on the back of 18 points, 20 rebounds, and a player valuation of 37.4. Bernardino belongs in that company. She earned it.
Afril Bernardino Forms 1-2 Punch with Rising Star Kacey Dela Rosa
But the Afril Bernardino story is only half of what made this run special. Kacey Dela Rosa, the multiple-time UAAP MVP from the Ateneo Blue Eagles, was the other half—the rising star to Bernardino’s veteran anchor, and the player who delivered when it mattered most.
Against Japan in the semifinal, Dela Rosa was unstoppable, scoring 10 points on 10-for-12 shooting while grabbing 5 rebounds. With the game tied at 19-all and everything on the line, Bernardino sent Gilas to match point with about a minute remaining, then found Dela Rosa underneath for the game-winning basket with 47.4 seconds left. That combination, in miniature, is exactly what this Gilas Women squad was.
Dela Rosa was held to just 3 points in the final against Australia, but by then the work was already done. The silver was already secured.
Gilas Women’s Present and Future
The context matters. Gilas Women arrived in Singapore with only two weeks of preparation and a reshuffled roster. Afril Bernardino was the veteran anchor, and Kacey Dela Rosa was the next generation. Together they led Gilas Women to wins over world No. 11 Mongolia and 12th-ranked Japan on the same day to reach the final.
“We only had two weeks of preparation and being with each other so this is all worth it,” Bernardino said after the semifinal. That quote says everything about the kind of team this was.
The All-Asia Cup nod is individual recognition for a collective accomplishment. Philippine women’s basketball has a new benchmark—built by a veteran who steadied the ship, and a young star who steered it home when it counted.
