Sotto arrival leaves teen prodigy with little time to join Gilas PH practice;

It’s going to be a challenge to find enough time for Kai Sotto to practice with the national pool. —PHOTO COURTESY OF FIBA.BASKETBALL

Kai Sotto, the 7-foot-3 teen prodigy, was set to arrive in Manila on Monday night according to the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).

When he can get actual practice time is another question.

That’s why Ange Kouame’s trip to the Department of Foreign Affairs offices on Monday couldn’t have come at a better time.

Kouame, granted naturalization two weeks ago when President Duterte signed it into law, applied for a Philippine passport to complete the final requirement that would make him eligible in Fiba-sanctioned international events, counting the Asia Cup Qualifying window the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas will host later this month in a bubble in Clark, Pampanga province.

The 6-foot-10 Kouame, whom many past national coaches feel is the perfect naturalized player for Gilas Pilipinas because he would have the time and chance to grow with the rest of the team, was also at the Bureau of Immigration (BI) last Friday to satisfy his requirements to be a Filipino, including doing the fingerprinting process.

On his way

Meanwhile, Ryan Gregorio, the special assistant to SBP president Al Panlilio, told the Inquirer the federation had received word that Sotto was on his way to the country at press time, but could not give anything definite as to when the former Ateneo high school standout can join practices.

Coaches reportedly want Sotto to come in a week earlier to be able to get a better feel of the Tab Baldwin system, which the other members of the team have been using since March when the national pool first went into a bubble to train.

The Inquirer has reached out to Baldwin, who has yet to respond as of press time.

Sotto, who recently signed with the Adelaide 36ers in the Australia’s National Basketball League, was expected to backstop the National Five in two Fiba competitions this June.

Play it by ear

But Gregorio said Sotto’s training schedule hinges on the current health protocols, which could keep Sotto from practicing right away with the national pool.

“He has to go through quarantine as mandated by the government. We have to play it by ear,” Gregorio said.

The Philippines is scheduled to host the Qualifiers from June 16 to June 20 where the Filipinos will play South Korea twice and Indonesia once.

There, Gilas will be needing only one win for an Asia Cup slot, although the ultimate target is to make all the players jell and be very comfortable playing together for the Olympic qualifying tournament in Belgrade.

But the mandatory quarantine of new arrivals—pegged at 14 days—means Sotto can only be available to practice by June 14, just two days before the start of the qualifiers. And having a short time to be with the team also carries with it the potential of hurting the long preparations the squad has had under Baldwin. INQ