From guard-oriented to a tall team, Batang Gilas making gradual adjustments
THIS year’s version of Batang Gilas may turn out to be the tallest team in years with 14-year-old Kai Sotto manning the shaded lane.
At 6-foot-11, the 14-year-old, second generation player is the tallest player to represent the national youth team since EJ Feihl back in the late 1980s.
So it’s only logical to use Mr. Sotto’s height advantage to the hilt when the Philippine youth team starts its SEABA Under-16 campaign a week from now.
“Yes, in the SEABA, we may have a little bit of size advantage, so we have to get our big men more involved,” Gilas head coach Mike Oliver told
in a telephone interview. “But in the FIBA Asia Championship, we’re smaller compared to other teams.”
Alaska Milk coach Alex Compton, who was part of the National Basketball Training Center for youth, had seen the progress of Mr. Sotto, who now plays for the Ateneo Blue Eaglets in the UAAP, and he was amazed at how the kid has developed.
“I’m not surprised at all,” Mr. Compton said. “His dad, Ervin is a good player and his development has extended not just in school or academies, but also at home. Kai possessed a decent touch from the perimeter and can improve on the different aspects of his game.”
Mr. Oliver said that aside from his perimeter shooting, Sotto has good dribbling skills hardly seen from big guys.
To get himself ready for the bigger battles, Mr. Sotto, one of the youngest players included in the country’s under-16 cage roster, has started to bang bodies with collegiate players and he got the fitting workout in the recent Got Skills Challenge and Fr. Martin’s Cup.
“Now, he is starting to bang bodies with men. Before, against kids his age, he’s above head and shoulders and doesn’t need to jump to use his advantage. Now, he has to improve the different aspects of his game, which includes banging bodies inside against the big guys and has to use his jumping ability,” added Mr. Oliver.
Mr. Sotto will definitely be the center of attraction for Batang Gilas, which plays in front of our countrymen starting May 14.
He will get a lot of help up front from the other big guys — Bismark Lina of UST (6-foot-5), Geo Chiu of Ateneo (6foot-8), Raven Cortez of La Salle-Zobel (6-foot-7), and Josh Lazaro of San Beda (6-foot-5). Other players included in the line up are Rafael Go of Chiang Kai Shek, Mclaude Guadana of Lyceum, Rafael Lazaro of San Beda, and Miguel Tan of Xavier School.
Batang Gilas will still rely though on point production from their guards headed by co-captains Rence Padrigao of Ateneo, Jose Miguel Pascual and RC Calimag of San Beda, and Terrence Fortea of National University. —