DID Kai Sotto pass his initial test in his Gilas Pilipinas debut at home soil? Coach Tab Baldwin thinks so.
“Kai is definitely finding his way at this level. He is still learning, but what a smart kid. He picks things up extremely fast,” Baldwin said. “I think we’re all impressed with how quickly he has learned the basics of our system without maybe learning the nuances of it.”
The 7-foot-3 center, who will suit up for Adelaide in the National Basketball League of Australia, was good for 9.3 points and 7.0 rebounds in three games in the recent third window of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers in a bubble at Clark.
While saying Sotto would only get better, Baldwin could not help but gush on his prized ward’s grit and ability to jive with his teammates.
“His competitive spirit, it’s really admirable and he fits into the team extremely well. He enjoys being with us,” Baldwin said. “He’s a young kid who hasn’t played a lot of elite-level basketball and probably most of the elite ball that he has played has been over in the States where the physicality of the game is very different.”
Likely a shoo-in for the all-amateur Philippine five set to do battle in the Olympic qualifying tournament from June 29 to July 4 in Belgrade, Serbia, Sotto must learn to play with more poise to add headaches to opponents.
