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Canadian coach Burke Toews might just introduce a Japanese brand of basketball to Gilas Pilipinas Women.
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 years at the helm.
Burke Toews, better known as BT, officially took over the national team this month, bringing with him decades of experience at multiple levels of basketball.
Toews played collegiate basketball at the University of Winnipeg before pursuing a career in Canada and Germany.
The Canadian 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 basketball brand
Toews 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 the head coach.
Under his leadership, Fujitsu won back-to-back league titles in 2024 and 2025, as well as the 2025 Empress Cup title.
The championship came shortly before the Samahang ng Pilipinas Basketball (SBP) hired her 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 departure from Fujitsu, Toews also managed 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 progress
Beyond the professional level, Toews has long been recognized for his work in grassroots basketball development.
That influence is perhaps most visible in the development of his son, Kai Toews, who credits his father for learning the basics of the game.
Since then Kai has been a key player for Japan’s national basketball team, the Akatsuki Five, and has played in the Japanese Premier League since 2020 with Utsunomiya Brex, Shiga Lakes, and Alvark Tokyo.
He is also the father of teammate Luke Toews, who played for Boston College before transferring to Furman University for the upcoming 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 player development credentials could be important for Gilas Pilipinas as the women’s program is going through a transition period with the emergence of young talents like Kacey dela Rosa, Kent Pastrana, Ella Fajardo, Naomi Panganiban, Vanessa de Jesus, and Camille Clarin. – Rappler.com
