Raiko Toroman, former Gilas coach and now mentor of the Indonesian national team, during a 2019 SEA Games basketball game. INQUIRER PHOTO/AUGUST DELA CRUZ
MANILA, Philippines — Former Gilas Pilipinas head coach Rajko Toroman believes Kai Sotto made a “great move” in taking his talents to Australia.
Sotto, last month, signed a multi-year contract to play for the Adelaide 36ers in the National Basketball League.
“I think that it was a great move,” said Toromon on Noli Eala’s Power and Play show.
“In my opinion, it was a great move because I think the G League is too strong for this moment for Kai Sotto. He’s not athletic enough for the G League.”
The 7-foot-2 Sotto’s decision to play in Australia came two months after his fallout with NBA G League Ignite.
Toroman, who now calls the shots for Indonesia, thinks Sotto will be facing stiff competition in the NBL which will boost his progress.
“The Australian league is a great league. That’s a very strong league with excellent domestic players,” the 66-year-old Serbian said.
“I think that was the best move, at this moment, for Kai Sotto, you know, to try to find the confidence in this kind of league,” he added.
Toroman also commended Thirdy Ravena’s move to play in the Japan B.League.
Ravena just recently inked a multi-year deal to return with the San-En NeoPhoenix.
“He’s an extremely athletic player and his experiences in Japan will help him go to the next level and help with the national team,” said Toroman, who also had coaching stints in Iran and Jordan to name a few.
Toroman, however, offered a different take on Kobe Paras’ decision to go back to the United States.
“I don’t think that the move of Paras will be that great because you can only play in the G League and the NBA and if you cannot be the main guy, if you’re sitting on the bench, you will not get anything from that,” he said.
“Otherwise individual practice is okay, but for one month and not for the whole season because you have to play. Because without playing, you cannot improve,” he added.
Last month, the 23-year-old forward opted to forgo his final year of eligibility with University of the Philippines to sign with a United States-based agency in East West Private, which also handles Sotto and other prospects.