Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
    View Today
    Sun, Nov 5

    As India calls up Singh, did Gilas consider Kai Sotto for the pool?

    Kai Sotto's G League teammate is on India's roster for its own qualifying campaign. Did SBP consider Kai?
    Nov 23, 2020
    PHOTO: Jerome AscaƱo | Fiba.basketball

    SHOULD the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) have made a run at including Kai Sotto for the Gilas Pilipinas squad in the upcoming second window of the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers?

    Without a naturalized player in tow and the Philippine team leaning on guys like Isaac Go, Justine Baltazar, and Kemark Carino up front, calling up the 7-foot-2 center should have been a big boost to the country's frontline.

    Gilas is bracing for a pair of games against Thailand in Group A action set on November 27 and 30 inside the Manama bubble in Bahrain.

    The SBP has yet to respond to Spin.ph's queries if the possibility was ever in consideration, but that really should have been a no-brainer.

    Yes, securing clearances from all fronts would have been a headache, with Sotto currently training with his NBA G League team Ignite at its practice facility in Walnut Creek, California.

    But nothing says the Philippines is preparing for the future more than including the 18-year-old at any given chance, especially with this squad peppered with collegiate stars.

    After all, it's almost a sure thing that we'll see Sotto in those Gilas threads come the 2023 Fiba World Cup here.

    ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓

    MORE FROM SPIN
    MORE FROM SPIN

      Gilas shouldn't look too far to find an example.

      India included Sotto's Ignite teammate Princepal Singh on its 12-man roster for its Group D campaign, where it will take on Lebanon on Nov. 27 and Bahrain on Nov. 29.

      Singh, 19, was the first product of NBA Academy India to sign a professional contract where he is set to play side-by-side with Sotto and other top US high school standouts like Jalen Green, Daishen Nix, and Isaiah Todd in the upcoming season of the developmental league.

      The 6-foot-10 center is touted to be the future of India's national basketball team, and gaining experience in this campaign can only be helpful for him and the country as it seeks to ascend the ranks in the continent.

      That begs the question: if India did it, why couldn't we?
      ___

      For more Gilas updates, click here.

      Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph

      Read Next
      Watch Now
      Sorry, no results found for
      PHOTO: Jerome AscaƱo | Fiba.basketball
    • POLL

      • Quiz

        Quiz Result