FILLE Claudine Cainglet looks to balance her stint with Glutagence Glow Boosters in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) with her duties as an orthopedic surgery residency at East Avenue Medical Center.
According to the Bacolod City-native cager, the dual-task is nothing new to her as it is the same when she was a student-athlete at the University of the Philippines (UP) Lady Maroons.
“Parang pagiging student-athlete ulit, back when I was studying. Time-management lang, I’ll be able to balance it,” Cainglet said in a virtual press conference by Glow Boosters.
The 32-year-old Cainglet made it to the WNBL history books when she was made the top-overall pick by the Glow Boosters in the league’s first-ever virtual rookie draft recently.
Cainglet, elder sister of former Ateneo Lady Eagles volleybelle Fille Cainglet-Cayetano, shared that basketball has been her sport ever since and started to play it in Grade 3.
“I started playing when I was in grade 3. During the weekends, my sister used to have ballet classes and I was tagged along,” said Cainglet, who steered the Lady Maroons to two UAAP women’s basketball finals appearances.
“Nasa gym lang ako doing shooting then a coach discovered me, that’s when I started joining,” the Bacolodnon cager added. “I played in high school, then college, I got recruited in UP.”
Cainglet was thankful to the initiative of Rhose Montreal for establishing the WNBL to allow the younger females to pursue basketball.
“The WNBL is truly one giant step for women’s basketball in the Philippines. I want to thank the innovators for making this possible,” said Cainglet.
“I’m very happy to be a role model for the younger generation. [I can] inspire girls to follow their dreams. Think that they can achieve anything they put their minds to,” she added./PN
