Who is Burke Toews, the new Gilas Pilipinas Women head coach?

MANILA, Philippines – The Gilas Pilipinas Women’s team ushered in a new era this May after appointing a foreign head coach to lead the program, ending Pat Aquino’s 11-year tenure at the helm.

Burke Toews, more known as BT, officially took over the national team this month, bringing with him decades of experience across multiple levels of basketball.

Toews played collegiate basketball for the University of Winnipeg before pursuing a professional career in Canada and Germany.

The Canadian player later transitioned into coaching, spending seven years from 2005 to 2012 earning his coaching license before moving to Kobe, Japan, where he worked as a physical education teacher and basketball coach.

Japanese brand of basketball

Toews first served as head coach in 2011 after being hired by the Hyogo Storks in the second division of Japan’s B.League.

In 2014, he joined the Fujitsu Red Wave of the Japan Women’s Basketball League as an assistant coach before returning in 2018 as head coach. 

Under his leadership, Fujitsu captured back-to-back league titles in 2024 and 2025, along with the 2025 Empress Cup crown.

Those championship runs came shortly before the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas (SBP) hired him to replace Aquino, who has transitioned to a new role with the federation, focusing on talent identification and grassroots development in the girls’ division, along with program director Norman Black.

During his stint away from Fujitsu, Toews also handled the Sun Rockers Shibuya in the 2016-2017 season and the Toyama Grouses in the 2017-2018 campaign.

Toews has lived in Japan for more than three decades, immersing himself in the country’s basketball culture

Knack for development

Beyond the professional level, Toews has long been recognized for his work in grassroots basketball development.

That influence is perhaps most evident in the growth of his son, Kai Toews, who credited his father for learning the fundamentals of the game.

Kai has since become a key figure for Japan’s national basketball team, the Akatsuki Five, and has played in the Japan B.League since 2020 with the Utsunomiya Brex, Shiga Lakes, and Alvark Tokyo.

He is also the father of collegiate player Luka Toews, who played for Boston College before transferring to Furman University for the upcoming US NCAA season.

During his time with Fujitsu, Toews also helped develop Rui Machida, who set the Olympic record for most assists in a single game with 18 during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and Yuki Miyazawa, an Olympic silver medalist and longtime member of the Japanese national team.

His reputation for player development could prove crucial for Gilas Pilipinas as the women’s program undergoes a transition period with the emergence of young talents such as Kacey dela Rosa, Kent Pastrana, Ella Fajardo, Naomi Panganiban, Vanessa de Jesus, and Camille Clarin. – Rappler.com

المصدر: Rappler (PH)