WILL Kai Sotto's stint with Mighty Sports in a Dubai tournament jeopardize his eligibility if he decides to play college ball in the US?
The quick answer is no.
Sotto, 17, will be viewed as an amateur when he joins Mighty in the 2020 Dubai International Basketball Tournament come January, assures coach Charles Tiu.
"Just to be clear, this will not affect his NCAA eligibility at all. He is playing as an amateur," Tiu said.
Sotto is one of the most intriguing prospects in the US NCAA today and has had visits in Kentucky, Georgia Tech, and DePaul.
Mighty, though, feels fortunate to have secured the services of the 7-foot-2 center for the invitational tourney.
Tiu bared he had been trying to secure the services of last season's UAAP Juniors MVP for a while now.
"I've seen his progress and his improvement and he gives us the presence of a local big guy," said Tiu. "I think this will also be a good test for him to personally see how far he’s gone playing against imports and guys who are older than him."
Sotto will team up with the Gomez de Liano brothers Juan and Javi at Mighty, which is also backed by eMedsure and Go for Gold.

For his part, Sotto shared his glee over the opportunity to represent the country.
"I’m super excited to be coming back to Manila next month for a week to train with the Mighty Sports team under Coach Charles Tiu," he said on Twitter. "Looking forward to playing as an amateur representing my country in the 31st Dubai International Basketball Championship. We are going for the gold!"
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