Sofia Roman On Next Gen Gilas Pilipinas Women: 'Stay Grounded And Play For The Love Of The Game'

Gilas Pilipinas Women won the silver medal at the recently concluded 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The national team then competed at the 2023 FIBA Women's Asia Cup a couple of weeks later in Sydney, Australia. They finished in sixth place in the tournament and kept their spot in Division A since 2015.

A great experience at the SEA Games

National team veteran Sofia Roman was one of the reserves for Gilas Women in Cambodia. Albeit not having played in the tournament, she still managed to contribute to the team in a different capacity. Roman was definitely proud of what the team has accomplished nevertheless.

"Generally, it was definitely a lot different from what I was used to. You know, I went in, more so, as a part of the team but I'm on the sideline, behind the lens instead of being on the floor," the Fil-Am admitted. "So overall, it was such a great experience. I think I will never forget it. I'm just really proud of the team overall. I was a basically, the social media, manager and producer of the content for our social media handles."

"I just kind of embraced that role because it was, it was definitely really important, especially, during this particular SEA Games. There was not a lot of live coverage and not a lot of ways for people to know how the team was doing. So, I took it upon myself to make sure that we were covered on all ends as a team so that people would know how we were doing. So overall, great experience. I was still practicing with the team at the time and also doing this thing that I know – that I kind of developed after my last SEA Games like being a videographer. So, that was a great experience for me," she added.

The loss to Indonesia was definitely a big blow for Gilas Women at the time. The team fought tooth and nail against the Indonesians despite not having one of their veterans in that all important game. Still, they bounced back from the loss and bagged silver in the tournament.

"Honestly, I'm very proud of my team. I'm proud of the girls for how hard they worked even though we won, silver. I think we performed very consistently. The one game that we did lose against Indonesia. It was a really hard battle because Indonesia played very well and kudos to them," Roman recalled. "They definitely deserve the gold, but we also did our best in that game. We worked hard and we played hard. Unfortunately, we lost Afril [Bernardino] in the first half of the game because she had a bloody nose and it was not stopping. So, she could not play. I think that definitely kind of affected a little bit of our team morale. But overall, we did our best in that game and we worked really hard, but we just didn't come up with the win. So every other game, we did our best and came out with silver."

Roman considers her new role with Gilas Pilipinas Women a blessing and was grateful for the opportunity. At the same time, it was such an important task to keep Filipino fans back home informed of what's happening with the team during the SEA Games.

A win-win situation indeed.

"It was definitely a full-circle moment for me. I would never have expected that to happen, like ever. It was such a happy moment for me because I was able to contribute to the team and something that I was also passionate about other than basketball. And I knew that this is also needed. So, it kind of was a win-win situation for everyone. I was very happy to do it for my team and I knew what was needed," she said. "So, I kind of just embraced that role and my teammates were just super happy and grateful that I was able to do it, even my coaches too. They were just so happy and then they were all so happy I was there with them."

'The heart of the Filipino is basketball'

This year's biennial event saw a trove of naturalized athletes or imports from competing Southeast Asian nations – most notably, host country Cambodia. Having an import (or imports) does give any team an edge in the competition. This was very much evident in basketball at the SEA Games.

However, the Gilas Pilipinas Women veteran believes an all-Filipino team can still compete internationally at the highest level. The good news is that a lot of women players from the US, Canada and Europe with Filipino roots are interested in playing for the national team.

"Honestly, for me, we got, I think – just based on my experience from 2015 and now – there's a lot more of curiosity from abroad with Fil-Am [Filipino-American], Fil-Canadian [Filipino-Canadian], Fil-European [Filipino-European] players to play for the national team and I think we are making with waves to do that. I think that's to me, the definition of like, maybe a naturalized import," said Roman. "I think it's really important to have some sort of Filipino blood when you represent the Philippines. So, you know, it's more than just the game. For us, it's really the heart – the heart of the Filipino is basketball. So, I think you have to be, You have to be of Pinoy [Filipino] blood in some sort of way. I think that's what makes us the Philippine national team. So yeah, I think overall, we are making way to getting more Filipino players abroad to come play for the national team."

Laying the seeds for new generation of Filipino women players and beyond

Before playing for Perlas Pilipinas – now, Gilas Pilipinas Women – in 2015, Roman played college hoops in the US NCAA Division I for Dartmouth College and Wagner College, respectively. She looks back on how she and past players from the national team laid the foundation of current and future generation of Gilas Women under coach Patrick Aquino.

"I was with the first batch of coach Pat [Aquino] and his staff's Gilas players – that time Perlas. It was a great experience overall," she recalled. "The SEA Games was in Singapore. We were training for three months beforehand and we had a great team. It was our first time together, we didn't medal that year. But we definitely laid the foundation for the future, which is now, and then FIBA Asia was right after the SEA Games. So, we ended up making history leveling up from level two to level one."

Since then, the Gilas Pilipinas Women program has been successful at international tournaments, from the SEA Games to FIBA Women's Asia Cup. Roman believes that team's growth each year is what made them stronger.

"I think the main theme of Gilas Women is that regardless of what year, it's strong. And there's like a unique thing about that team this year," the former US NCAA Division I baller explained. "There's definitely a lot of growth since then. When it comes to recruiting, when it comes to the team in general, there's a lot more competition. A lot more people who want to play for the national team. So, I think that was the dream back then and now. It's kind of happening. So, we're just going to keep moving forward from here.

A couple of her teammates from Perlas Pilipinas – Jack Animam and Afril Bernardino – are currently main stays with Gilas Women. The two veterans brought grit and toughness to the team.

"There's a couple of girls that played with me on the national team in 2015 that are now the veterans [Jack Animam and Afril Bernardino] and over all, the girls are tough. They're all about the team and they're all about teamwork," Roman said. "They move the ball really well. Everybody knows their strengths and work towards the strengths of each teammate, which is great. And they don't take a play down, they don't take a play for granted. I think overall, we just play for the love of the game, and that's a constant ever since I started playing in 2015."

WNBA and Roman Productions

After her stint with the national team in 2015, she returned to New York and began work as an intern for the WNBA in 2017. Right off the bat, she saw a different perspective of women's basketball during her time with the league.

"For two years, I worked for the W [WNBA] – 2017 to 2019, two seasons. It was an amazing experience. First time I was really on the sidelines, not on the court. Actually, some of the girls, I grew up with in the US were playing for some WNBA teams," Roman recalled. "So, it was really nice to kind of catch up and see how our paths led to led to that moment. It was a great experience. I saw women's basketball in a different light, not just says 'athlete,' but also, as a lifestyle. Because these girls really played for the love of the game."

"Same as here. They developed other ways to be not only athletes, but business women, so that they can support themselves. I think I definitely gained a lot more. Not that I didn't have respect for women's basketball, I had way more respect for the women because they really try to make things happen, regardless of the situation they were in," she added.

Speaking of women's basketball, Roman is a huge fan of former Seattle Storm point guard Sue Bird, who retired from the game at age 42 in 2022.

"She [Sue Bird] is the GOAT (greatest of all time) guard and she gives older women hope that they can continue playing," she said.

Two years after her internship with the WNBA, she put up her own production company. She's been doing social media and marketing content for different brands since.

"In the states, I have a production company called 'Roman Productions', and I do a lot of social media, marketing short, and long form videos for different brands, across all Industries," shared Roman. "So, that's been a really awesome thing that I've been building outside of, you know, the chapter of basketball."

For the love of the game

Having some experience playing in the US NCAA and for the national team, Sofia Roman knows how to win and be successful on the international stage.

The Fil-Am has some advice for talented young girls who aspire to play for Gilas Pilipinas Women in the future:

"For them. I just would like to say that, you know, play for the love of the game know why you're playing and just continue on. Don't feel like if there's challenges that you've got arise in your basketball experience, don't let it deter you from playing the sport that you love because that, kind of, is the biggest thing that you should keep doing," Roman said. "I would tell them just to keep working on their game. Keep working hard, have a good level head. Stay grounded because there's a lot of things that are happening in social media and abroad. And, you know, a lot of extra stuff that could take you away from the game – but don't let that happen, don't let that happen to you. Stay grounded, work hard and know why you're playing.