PLAYING in the Asian level is one thing. But to represent Gilas Pilipinas in the world stage is exactly what Kai Sotto has always wanted - a goal that he'll able to accomplish in the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade.
"For me, it's one of my top dreams just to represent my country and to play in this kind of arena, this kind of atmosphere," said the 19-year old basketball prospect. "This tournament, it's just a dream come true."
Sotto is expected to be one of the key pieces for the Philippines in the Belgrade OQT, especially with the injuries likely to slow down, if not rule out, starting guard Dwight Ramos and naturalized player Ange Kouame.
But the 7-foot-3 center shrugged off the pressure and is approaching the next two games with an open mind, fully aware that this young team is still building up for its ultimate goal of competing in the 2023 Fiba World Cup.
"I feel grateful to be part of this team, to be part of such an amazing tournament, playing an amazing first two games against Serbia and against Dominican Republic," he said.
"It was really good, the atmosphere in the team as a young team, it's fun. We got to keep our focus, got to stay locked in, but at the same time, have fun."
Odds will be stacked against the Filipinos as they face a tough draw in Group A against Serbia on Thursday and Dominican Republic on Friday, both Manila time.
Yet more than anything, Sotto knows that what's important is for Gilas to just build on what it accomplished in Clark during the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers and play its best basketball against two of the world's top teams.
"We're just doing our best in terms of preparation because we all know how tough this Serbian team is and this Dominican Republic team is going to be. So we just take it day-by-day, and be ready for our first game," he said.
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