By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Kai Sotto is home.
After months of waiting, Gilas Pilipinas will finally have the 7-foot-3 basketball star in their official lineup heading into the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers in Doha, Qatar.
The Filipino basketball sensation arrived in Manila last February 2 and was met by his friends, family, and the media.
Sotto’s addition will be a huge boost as they face main rivals South Korea in the upcoming February window.
The Philippines faced the same team in previous meetings – and they will do so again in Qatar against Korean mainstay import Ricardo Ratliffe.
Sotto is set to be the main anchor underneath. Gilas program director coach Tab Baldwin is expecting his length to bother Ratliffe and the other Korean centers.
Sotto’s experience playing with the ex-NBA pros during their G League practice scrimmages in team Ignite will be an advantage, especially since a ton of youngsters are still in the preliminary lineup for the third and final window.
The Philippines will try to keep their no. 1 spot in the standings of Group A with a 3-0 record to book their ticket to the Asia Cup tournament.
