KAI Sotto said Gilas Pilipinas' sweep of the fourth window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian qualifiers where they played without a naturalized player was a major step towards the future.
Sotto is excited for what’s ahead for the Philippine team after pulling out hard-earned victories against Jordan and Iran even sans Justin Brownlee, their hands-down go-to-guy.
“I’m just very blessed to be part of this team and to have this young core that we have, it gives me confidence pagdating sa future,” he said.
Gilas youngsters were up to the task with Brownlee out, with Sotto showing the way in averaging 15.5 points, 15 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and a steal in his return to the national team after a two-year absence.
Dwight Ramos, Kevin Quiambao, AJ Edu, Carl Tamayo, and Juan Gomez de Liano also had notable performances during the home stand that got the Philippines back in the conversation for WC berths.
“Me, Carl, Dwight, AJ, KQ, Juan, these are young guys who have a really bright future for the national team. And I think this window was a good, a big challenge for us without Justin,” Sotto added.
“It was on us to take that bigger step now. We have to help each other. We have to play better and we have to own that we have that have a big responsibility for this team. And I think everybody stepped up and I’m proud of the guys. I’m just very happy that we got these two wins.”
Gilas' next generation
That young core allowed the national team to overcome slow starts in both games, overcoming an 18-point deficit to beat Jordan in overtime, 82-81, then erasing an early 13-point Iran lead to pull off a 67-56 victory.
“I’m just very proud of my teammates and also my coaches. I think it’s the same thing against Jordan where we had a slow start and by halftime, we had big adjustments from our coaches, and we applied it in the second half," he said.
“I’m just happy we got these two wins and I’m happy for the team and for the country to see us winning again, and here at home.”
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