Gilas Pilipinas program director Chot Reyes is losing hope that Kai Sotto will get to join the national team for the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup which begins on July 12 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Despite the number of calls he has made to Sotto and his handlers East West Private, Reyes could not get confirmation from them on whether the 7-foot-3 big man can commit to the 12-day tournament.
“Mukhang wala na,” Reyes told reporters after Gilas’ 79-63 win over India on Sunday.
“He has decided to do some other things and forego the FIBA Asia Cup.”
After not getting selected in the 2022 NBA Draft last June 24 (Manila time), Sotto’s agent Joel Bell said that his client is committed to the national team and that playing in the Summer League was not an option.
Sotto though went to social media to clarify that his next move is not yet definite and that Bell “misspoke.”
“We’re still hoping, but to be very honest, medyo malabo,” said Reyes.
During Reyes’ scrum, Gilas head coach Nenad Vucinic was in the press room of the SM Mall of Asia Arena, baring that Thirdy Ravena and Bobby Ray Parks Jr. were likely to be added to the team.
Still, Vucinic said that the team is still unbalanced as it has a plethora of guards and only one legitimate center in Geo Chiu.
“We are in a situation that we are playing unbalanced as a team.
“We don’t really have enough size, enough big guys that we can rotate. We are playing William Navarro out of position as a big guy so it is difficult because of the composition of the team,” said Vucinic.
For his part, Reyes plans to add one or two more bigs to Gilas that is grouped with New Zealand, India, and Lebanon in the group stages of the continental meet.
An option is to add TNT bigs Poy Erram or Kelly Williams to the team as the Tropang Giga’s elimination round campaign in the PBA Philippine Cup ends on July 10 — two days before the competition.
Another is to pull out Gilas draftee Justin Arana from Converge.
Photo by PBA Images
“What the team needs is another big. You can’t have Geo Chiu as the only center,” said Reyes.
“That’s a problem that we have to take into account, what the team needs. Yun ang continuously na pinaguusapan natin.”
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