MANILA (Philippines) - The Philippines are coming into Window 4 of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers with renewed hope after welcoming back one of their pillars ahead of next week's games.
Kai-ju is back
Kai Sotto has finally rejoined Gilas, as the team on Monday, August 17, commenced its preparations for the August 27-31 games, indeed a massive development for a team that's grown desperate to turn things around.
He's a game-changer for us
"As we have said, it’s a do-or-die situation, and we’re extremely happy that he responded to the call,” head coach Tim Cone told Tiebreaker Times. "No doubt, he's a game-changer for us."
The Filipino dribblers haven't won since the first window of the World Cup Qualifiers. After a mighty sweep of Guam, they'd go on to lose against world powers Australia and New Zealand, thus dropping to 2-4.
Still, they were lucky enough to advance to the Second Round thanks partly to Guam eventually going winless, although their current standing has put the Southeast Asian side in practically a must-win situation.
Not just in the upcoming window, but for the rest of the Second Round if they are to advance. They have been drawn in Group E, where they will be taking on West Asian squads Iran (5-1), Jordan (5-1), and Syria (2-4).
"The margin of error has really dissipated for us," Cone said in a previous interview. "Like I've been saying over the past few weeks, this is an all-hands-on-deck kind of thing."
"We're trying to get everybody to show up."
That's precisely why the Philippines have breathed a huge sigh of relief with the return of Sotto.
What Sotto brings to the table
The 2.21 M (7'3") big man hasn't played for Gilas in about 21 months, or since the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers back in November 2024 in which he and the squad wrote history together.
It could be recalled that Team Pilipinas won against New Zealand for the first time in a major FIBA competition by way of a 93-89 decision, with the 'Kaiju' himself starring with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists.
He then went on to play in their eventual rout of Hong Kong, China about 3 nights later. Sotto could have played in the February 2025 window of the Asia Cup Qualifiers, but tore his left ACL in Japan in January of that year.
Now, the former Gilas Youth star is expected to make his much-awaited comeback this Window 4, rejoining a squad that could look a bit different from the one he last shared the court with a couple of years ago.
Justin Brownlee is returning to lead the crew once more having just flown back to Manila this weekend after months of recovery, but plenty of younger faces have been included to the initially compact pool.
Back in Window 3, Cone utilized the services of Juan Gomez de Liano, Justine Baltazar, and new forward Mike Phillips in their road games, and this trio are also in the preliminary roster, at least, for the new window.
Expected to come back are the usual suspects such as Kevin Quiambao, Carl Tamayo, and Scottie Thompson, giving Sotto some more familiarity as these pieces were on the unit that he last played with.
But more than the established chemistry, the size and skill that he alone brings shall make the Philippines a favorite against the Falcons and Team Melli, both of which they will be hosting at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Interestingly, that venue in Pasay City was also the last time where he saw action while wearing a Philippines uniform, and they're definitely hoping to recreate the same magic they did back in November of 2024.
Kai Sotto through the Years
A look at Kai Sotto's numbers in FIBA senior play
Year | Event | GP | PPG | RPG | APG | EFF |
4 | 15.5 | 12.5 | 3.8 | 25.3 | ||
2 | 11 | 4 | 0.5 | 12 | ||
5 | 6 | 4 | 0.6 | 8.2 | ||
4 | 13.3 | 9.3 | 1 | 19 | ||
3 | 9.3 | 7 | 1.3 | 10.7 | ||
2 | 9 | 4.5 | 1.5 | 8.5 | ||
Total Average |
| - | 10.7 | 7.3 | 1.5 | 14.6 |
FIBA