Tag: Kai

Tim Cone rues Kai Sotto absence in Gilas loss to Brazil

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Injured center Kai Sotto sits on Gilas Pilipinas bench during a game against Brazil in the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Riga, Latvia.–FIBA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Gilas Pilipinas sorely missed the absence of Kai Sotto in a loss to Brazil on Saturday that ended its hopes of making the Paris Olympics.

Sotto was sidelined due to a bruised rib he suffered against Georgia on Thursday.

Without the 7-foot-3 center, Gilas just couldn’t provide enough resistance in the paint against Brazil, which was led by former NBA veteran Bruno Caboclo.

READ: Gilas struggles against Brazil in Fiba OQT loss

“We don’t want to make excuses but losing Kai was big for us,” said Cone after Gilas’ 71-60 loss. “It just took away our depth in the front line.”

The 6-foot-9 Caboclo, a first round pick by the Toronto Raptors in 2014, muscled his way to 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Gilas tried to fill the void by playing June Mar Fajardo extended minutes. The seven-time PBA MVP stepped up with 10 points and 11 rebounds but he could only do so much in 30 minutes of action.

READ: Tim Cone on Gilas’ Fiba OQT campaign: Now we know we can compete

“It [Sotto’s absence] forced June Mar Fajardo to overplay minutes and that all mushroomed from there but the bottom line is we just weren’t good enough tonight,” Cone said. “They played us with a really physical brand of basketball… We lacked in the big, we had to overplay our frontline.”

“More than anything, I think June Mar got really tired having to face 51 (Bruno Caboclo) and No. 6 (Cristiano Felicio). Those two guys banged on him and rotated on him and it was a tough battle for him being there by himself.”

Prior to the injury, Sotto averaged 11 points, four rebounds and 1.5 blocks in two games against Latvia and Georgia.

Sotto was among Gilas’ heroes in its stunning upset of world No. 6 Latvia on Thursday, posting 18 points, eight rebounds and a block in close to 33 minutes of play.



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Kai Sotto join Koshigaya Alphas

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Kai Sotto finds his newest home at Koshigaya Alphas in the Japan B.League.

MANILA, Philippines—Kai Sotto has found his new home in the Japan B.League.

Weeks after his departure from the Yokohama B-Corsairs, the Koshigaya Alphas announced that they have acquired the services of the 7-foot-3 Filipino big as they are promoted to Division 1.

“The Koshigaya Alphas have reached an agreement with Kai Sotto (formerly of the Hiroshima Dragonflies) for the 2024-25 season… At only 22 years old, but also noticed by the world, the Philippine representative big man will be the new guardian of the Alphas,” wrote the team in an Instagram post on Friday.

Sotto, meanwhile, shared that he’s just as excited as the Alphas to start a new chapter in his B.League journey.

READ: Kai Sotto continues to shine in B.League return after Gilas stint

“I’m looking forward to being a part of the Koshigaya Alphas. The Alphas have been promoted from B2 and will want to prove that they can compete in B1,” said the Gilas big.

“I also chose Alphas to grow more and become a better player. [I’m] excited to see the city of Koshigaya. I’m especially looking forward to seeing the fans!”

In Sotto’s final stint with Yokohama, where he played after a loan clause with his former team Dragonflies, Sotto posted norms of 12.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game in 34 outings.

READ: Kai Sotto bound to dominate Asia, believes Gilas coach Tim Cone

He helped the B-Corsairs finish with a 24-36 record.

The Alphas, though, will have to wait a few more days to start training with Sotto as he is currently on national duty with Gilas Pilipinas.

As of writing, Sotto is in Istanbul, Turkey for a couple of friendlies before Gilas’ Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament.



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He finished with nine points and nine rebounds in his last outing with the national team in their win against the Taiwan Mustangs, 74-64, which the Alphas must have watched intently.