By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Filipino star center Kai Sotto has found a new home in the Japan B. League.
After spending the past season with the Hiroshima Dragonflies, the seven-foot-three big man will don a new uniform after the Yokohama B-Corsairs signed him to a fresh contract confirmed last December 28, 2023.
In a social media post by Yokohama, the Japan B. League squad formally welcomed the Filipino hooper via an update on their X (formerly Twitter) account.
Yokohama team manager Ken Takeda then expressed how glad he was after they landed Sotto in a swap package deal with the Dragonflies.
“We have high expectations for him as a new option on offense as well as inside defense and rebounding. I believe that with the addition of Sotto, the team will gain even more energy and accelerate into the mid-game and second-half games,” said Takeda.
Sotto had a fantastic debut with the Dragonflies and helped the franchise stack win after win last playing season.
He had several breakout games despite only playing in the midseason and registered a consistent streak of double-double performances several months ago.
During his first home game with Hiroshima, Sotto put up a 20-point performance during their 102-95 victory over the Kyoto Hannaryz squad last March 15, 2023.
Sotto was in his zone during the game and shot an efficient 9/14 from the field in just 22 minutes of action.
From his signature baby hooks in the left block to wide-open two-handed dunks, Sotto displayed his full offensive arsenal to go alongside eight rebounds.
After that, Sotto continued to dominate against the Ibaraki Robots, notching a double-double performance of 21 points and 12 rebounds.
Sotto also had a memorable duel with fellow Filipino Matthew Wright when Hiroshima took down Kyoto Hannaryz last April 2, 2023.
After 24 minutes of playing time, Sotto steered Hiroshima to a 76-63 victory and dropped 11 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, and an assist.
Will he make the same impact for Yokohama and help them improve their standings?
