GILAS Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes hopes that Kai Sotto can still play for the national team in the sixth and final window of the Fiba Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers to be held at the Philippine Arena.
Reyes said he has been informed that Gilas management and Sotto are still in talks about playing against Lebanon on February 24 and Jordan on February 27.
READ: Kai Sotto unlikely to play for Gilas in February qualifiers
“I know that they are talking,” said Reyes on Saturday. “There are negotiations. We made an offer. We made a very good offer. It’s up to them now kung ano gagawin nila if they accept it or not. Hopefully, they do.”
Gilas is set to practice with the full pool, except for Sotto, in the coming week with Japan B.League players about to arrive in Manila to join the preparations.
Reyes declined to speculate on the chance of Sotto joining Gilas on the strength of the offer that was already forwarded to his camp.
“But you’ll never know until he is actually here, kung nandito siya,” said Reyes of Sotto. “He has always told us how committed he is to the national team. I think you can see in his own personal statements and mga post niya, alam naman natin ‘yun. But again, until he is here, you’ll never really know.”
Gilas Pilipinas is out to end the Asian qualifiers with a flourish with a sweep over Lebanon and Jordan in front of the home fans at the Philippine Arena - also the site of the knockout stages of the Fiba Basketball World Cup proper.
Sotto recently signed with the Hiroshima Dragonflies in the Japan B.League after his stint with the Adelaide 36ers in Australia.
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