New challenge: Why BT Toews wants to coach Gilas Women
The quest for a new challenge has led Burke “BT” Toews to coach Gilas Women.
After decades in Japan where he helped shape its thriving women’s basketball scene, the 60-year-old mentor hopes to do the same in the Philippines, convinced that Gilas Women have what it takes to reach new heights.
Toews takes over the coaching reins from Patrick Aquino, whose decade-plus tenure with Gilas Women saw the team achieve several milestones and multiple firsts.
Under Aquino, Gilas Women ruled three of the last four Southeast Asian Games, earned promotion to the Division A of the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup, and beat a non-Asian team for the first time when they stunned Colombia in the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament in March.
While those accomplishments reflect a steady growth, Toews believes there is still another level for Gilas Women to unlock.
“I’m very familiar with all the teams in Asia, whether they’re national team or pro team. And of all the teams that I thought about — and I’ve had some other offers in Asia to coach national teams — I thought that the Philippines, the women’s, were a team that had a really high ceiling,” said Toews.
“Not just because of what happened in the last few years with coach Pat and the success they had. But if things could be changed not just on the court but off the court, I thought that the Philippines could really get to the top tier and be a perennial contender.”
Change of scenery
Originally from Canada, Toews moved to the Land of the Rising Sun, where he carved out a prolific career as head coach of the Fujitsu Red Wave in the Women’s Japan Basketball League.
Across his two stints with the Red Wave spanning nearly a decade — first from 2014 to 2016 and again from 2018 to 2025 — Toews steered Fujitsu to five finals appearances and two championships.
Following three unsuccessful bids for the elusive crowns, the Red Wave finally broke through in 2023–24 and successfully defended their title in 2024–25, with Toews earning Coach of the Year honors in both seasons.
But even with his success in Japan, Toews left Fujitsu in 2025 in pursuit of new horizons elsewhere.
“It seemed like kind of a strange time to step down as a coach at the peak of my Spider-Man powers, so to speak. I really felt strongly at this stage of my career, I still had some personal goals that were more than just championships,” said Toews.
Toews made Japan his home.
He married Eiko, a Japanese national, and their two sons, Kai and Luka, have followed in his basketball footsteps, representing Japan on the international stage.
A change of scenery, however, felt necessary.
“I accomplished two things right there: I got the job of the Philippines, and second of all, I’m able to coach in English. The third thing was I wanted to live outside of Japan because I’ve been there for 30-some years. I think it’s 35, actually. Both my wife and I wanted to experience a different country in Asia, so that brings me here,” he said.
Built over time
When it comes to women’s basketball in Asia, Japan is a prime example of sustained development.
Ranked outside the world top 15 in 2015, Akatsuki Japan made consistent improvements that culminated in a historic silver medal in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
It marked the first time an Asian team won an Olympic medal in women’s basketball since China bagged silver as well in the 1992 Barcelona Games.
Japan also reached the finals in each of the last seven Women’s Asia Cup editions, capturing five consecutive championships from 2013 to 2021 before settling for runner-up finishes in 2023 (lost to China) and 2025 (lost to Australia).
The philosophies that have made Japan a force to be reckoned with are among the lessons Toews hopes the Filipinas can learn from.
“I scouted the Philippines for a long time, even before I got this job, even more so after. My impressions and my take is accurate, I believe. It shouldn’t be news to anybody. I think that the players’ individual offensive skills are very good, in some ways better than Japanese players’ individual skill,” said Toews.
“But the Japanese, to make a direct comparison, play with the team, in every sense. They sprint together, they play defense together, they’re all in charge of stopping the ball, they’re all on a string. Offensively, the ball moves quickly, people are cutting and flying all over the place. It’s dizzying.”
Although Toews brings with him the practices and principles that have contributed to the rise of Japanese women’s basketball, having coached national team players such as Rui Machida, Yuki Miyazawa, and Monica Okoye at Fujitsu, he wants Gilas Women to forge an identity of their own.
“I don’t want to say that we can just bring what Japan does to the Philippine national team, to Gilas. Not only should you not copy someone completely because you lose the essence of the players that you’re coaching and what they do well, but at the same time, I feel like there’s a lot of areas that we can tune up and we will imitate,” he said.
And success takes time, as Toews learned during his second stint with Fujitsu.
The Red Wave finished seventh in 2018-19, placed third in the next two seasons, fell short of the crown in 2021-22, and slipped to sixth in 2022-23 before going on to win back-to-back championships.
“It doesn’t happen overnight,” he said.
Long road ahead
Toews gets to see how far Gilas Women have come since he took over the helm in June as the Philippines takes part in the FIBA Women’s Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Mexico scheduled from August 17 to 23.
Currently ranked 30th in the world, the Filipinas will take on No. 7 Canada, No. 22 Senegal, and No. 31 Mexico in the group stage, needing a top-two finish to advance to the knockout rounds.
After that, Toews and Gilas Women travel to Japan for the Asian Games in September as they shoot for a first-ever medal.
The road leads to the next Asia Cup, which the Philippines will host in 2027 in Cebu City.
“We have high goals and we want to win every game we play. We’ll take it one game at a time. I won’t make predictions but my standards are high. The players know that. They hear me in practice when I talk about what I accept, what I don’t accept. But they’re human and it’s going to take time. But we want to win while we’re learning,” Toews said.
“The long range plan is to be the best team we can be in the Asia Cup in Cebu.” – Rappler.com
