GILAS Pilipinas Youth won't have Kai Sotto's towering presence when it competes in the 2022 Fiba Under-16 Asian Championship in Doha.
Coach Josh Reyes says everybody must step up as the Philippines looks to book a return trip to the 2022 Fiba Under-17 World Cup next month.
"It has to be team effort for us," said coach Josh Reyes. "We’re not the same youth team that qualified for two World Cups in the past wherein we had an obvious focal point in Kai Sotto. This time around, we will try to win and we have to win games as a collective unit."
Caelum Harris, Lebron Nieto, Jared Bahay, and Jacob Bayla will all be counted on to lead the national youth team when it plays Kuwait and Japan in Group C.
Reyes emphasized the difficulties of preparing this young crew for the Qatar tilt, with the formation of the team already encountering problems, further compounded by the pandemic.
But he said it's now all about getting the players back into their rhythm.
"Getting them in good shape in general was not a problem. A lot of them have been working hard even during the pandemic. But it’s different from actually playing games that matter. That’s the key," he said.
Caelum Harris and the Philippine youth team are all set for battle in Doha.
"It’s almost like teaching from zero again. But the talent, the skills are there. It’s just getting them to swim into team basketball – offensive and defensive side. It took a lot of re-learning, teaching and corrections but I'm confident that the kids we have would have a good base going into the tournament."
With just two tuneup games under Gilas Youth's belt, Reyes is hoping the young Pinoy ballers will blend well once the ball is tipped.
"I hope everybody will surprise everyone," he said. "It’s really tough to gauge it having a three-year pause of youth basketball. Until we get there and play in the actual games, I think it’s not going to be accurate to say who’s going to surprise."
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