Gilas welcome Sotto at Clark
He will still be evaluated in terms of match fitness, it’s part of my discussion with coach Tab
Kai Sotto is now camping out with Gilas Pilipinas at Clark in the final runup to the country’s hosting of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers from 16 to 20 June, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) said yesterday.
SBP special assistant to the president Ryan Gregorio confirmed the arrival of the 7-3 prodigy but could not say whether he will get the green light to compete against South Korea and Indonesia in the coming days.
Sotto’s inclusion for the final lineup is yet to be determined by the coaching staff led by head coach Tab Baldwin.
The Filipinos battle Korea on Wednesday, Indonesia on Friday and Korea again on Sunday.
A 20-man pool is already housed under a bubble setup with Sotto completing the mandatory 14-day quarantine following his arrival from the United States.
“We all know that Kai Sotto arrived 14 days ago and he was tested negative, so that’s great news for us,” Gregorio said in a virtual press conference on Sunday. Gregorio said that Sotto’s inclusion for the final lineup is yet to be determined by the coaching staff lead by head coach Tab Baldwin.
“He will still be evaluated in terms of match fitness, it’s part of my discussion with coach Tab. On top of it is the team chemistry.” Aside from Gilas, the Korean squad has already checked in and will be followed by four other competing teams in China, Japan and Chinese Taipei.