KAI Sotto has gotten another boost as he braces for the second half of the 2021-22 NBL season with his father Ervin arriving in Australia.
Kai Sotto on having dad Ervin around
The 7-foot-2 center shared how big of a confidence jolt Ervin's presence is for him as he looks to end his first year as a professional with a bang.
"Having my dad is amazing," he told the team. "I wish I have my mom and two of my younger siblings here, too. But I'm always thankful with what I have and I'm happy that my dad is here."
Like what he has done all his life, Ervin, a seven-year PBA veteran in his own right, has been on the ears of Kai from the prodigy's time in St. Francis of Assisi College and Ateneo to his overseas forays in the United States.
And with Kai now in Adelaide, the elder Sotto plans to give the same valuable inputs to allow the Gilas Pilipinas cornerstone to further hone his game overseas.
"He's always there to guide me in my basketball career so it's easier for me on and off the court and I'm just happy he's here with me and that makes me feel better and stronger and more comfortable," Kai said.
Sotto and the rest of the 36ers, though, will have to get their act together as they sit with a 5-12 record and are currently on a five-game skid.
The 19-year-old beanpole, who's currently averaging 6.8 points on 53-percent shooting from the field, to go with 4.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists, and 0.7 blocks in 14.9 minutes of play, understands the gravity of the situation and believes that his side is primed for a big comeback starting this Friday against the Cairns Taipans.
"First day back, I can see that the guys were frustrated and it showed in the practice, but it took us some time to calm down and regroup. I think now the team is looking better and I think we got a good momentum this week going to Cairns with how we practiced," he said.
"I'm expecting our guys to be good. We're fresh and we practiced really good this past week, we're really locked in. We lost five in a row but we have that next game mentality. We got to defend our home court everytime we play there and we got to win now."
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