By REYNALD MAGALLON
Gilas Pilipinas is preparing for any possibilities surrounding the availability of Kai Sotto for the second window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asia qualifiers this February.
There have been reports circulating that the 7-foot-3 center is likely to sit out the two crucial home games against New Zealand and Australia and while nothing has been set in stone yet, Gilas head coach Tim Cone has stressed that the team intends to put Sotto’s health first.
The 23-year-old has just recently returned from a long layoff following an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury he sustained while playing for his team in the Japan B.League.
While Sotto has been playing well in his return, averaging 10.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists through six games in the season, slight setbacks, like an ankle injury, are prompting his mother team to take a more cautious approach in his return — and that included the possibility of him just resting during the FIBA break, and not participate in Gilas games.
“I think it’s important to remember that Kai has just recently returned from injury and to playing after a year. At this point, we will take what he can give us and play the long game with him,” Cone said of Sotto.
But the veteran mentor isn’t completely closing the doors on Sotto’s Gilas return, at least, until the national team gets a word from his handlers.
“We don’t want to assume or preempt anything with him until we have had more conversations with him and his handlers. We want to make sure we get this right,” said Cone.
“Obviously, he is crucial to our success in the coming window, but his long-term health is also crucial to our overall program leading up to the World Cup and beyond,” he added.
Should Sotto decide to sit out, Cone will be relying mostly on June Mar Fajardo, AJ Edu and Quentin Millora-Brown to man the paint in the games against the Tall Blacks on Feb. 26 and the Boomers on Mar. 1.
The Nationals are targeting a return to practice by next week at the Upper Deck Sports Centre in Ortigas before taking their build up to a higher gear at the Inspire Sports in Laguna.
