WITH towering big man Kai Sotto around, Gilas Pilipinas can beat anybody.
Without him, the Philippine five has to work doubly hard.
“We can beat anybody if we get Kai back out there and we’re hoping we get Kai back at some point during that time,” National coach Tim Cone said. “We’ve heard that he might be back in mid-October or late October and that might be enough time for him to get into the first window.
“One of the things we’re going to control is trying to get back together and prepare and get Kai back in the line-up. We can beat anybody with Kai. We’ve proven that,” he added.
The 7-foot-3 Sotto suffered an ACL injury early this year while suiting up for the Koshigaya Alpas in the Japan B.League. The injury usually requires a full year of recovery that will sideline the prized center for the FIBA Asia Cup set for Aug. 5-7 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
But Cone is hoping Sotto can rejoin the Filipino cagers in the first window of the World Cup qualifiers in November.
Sotto has gone under the knife and is now doing rehab but admitted there is no timetable yet for his much-awaited return.
“We’ve played the No. 5 or 6 team in the world and in their house and beat them. We’ve proven that we can beat anybody but we’ve also all proven by losing to Taiwan that anybody can beat us.
“So, you know, that’s all about the preparation and getting together and making sure we’re as prepared as possible.”
Cone’s hopes of having Sotto back on his squad’s roster are not unfounded.
The Philippines is pooled with fancied teams Australia and New Zealand in Group A.
The Aussies are ranked No. 7 in the world while the Tall Blacks are No. 22, with Gilas occupying No. 34 in the FIBA rankings.
Completing the pool is Guam, which has San Miguel Beer guard Jericho Cruz on its lineup for the first round.
With or without Sotto, Cone is unfazed.
“Whether it will be against Australia, whether it will be Guam, Taiwan, or Korea, doesn’t matter. So, whoever’s in front of us will take care of it,” he said. “I’m not making a big deal as much as everybody else is about the draw.
“I’d be saying exactly the same things if we were on the other side with Japan and China. Exactly, same, exactly the same things.”
It will surely not hurt to have a behemoth on one’s team so Sotto’s presence—or absence—will spell the big difference for Gilas.
