Kai begs off from bubble

MANILA, Philippines — Kai Sotto isn’t joining the Gilas bubble at Inspire in Calamba to focus on training and development in the US but it’s still not decided if the 7-2 center will play in the FIBA Asia Cup third qualifying window in Clark on June 14-20 and the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Belgrade on June 29-July 4.

Sotto, 18, took a break from his US schedule to train with Gilas in Calamba in preparation for the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers in Doha on Feb. 18-22 but the window was cancelled. Sotto was in Manila with his father Ervin for 12 days last month then returned to the US. If Gilas decides to visit the US and plays tune-up games, Sotto may likely be available for the national team. But going overseas may be a challenge because of the pandemic as SBP president Al Panlilio said “finding international stints might be difficult due to travel restrictions.”

At the moment, SBP is studying options to extend Gilas’ training beyond the one-month Calamba bubble which welcomed 19 players last Monday. More players, including Mike and Matt Nieto, are expected to check in this week after clearing health protocols. PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said the pro league is open for Gilas to play games, bearing or no-bearing, in the coming Philippine Cup. It will depend on the PBA and Gilas schedules. “Kahit a few games,” said Marcial. Another option is to play a pocket tournament with two PBA teams and, possibly, Japan before the start of the FIBA window. Australia and US were mentioned as possible hosts for a Gilas camp. “We need to study the schedule and government quarantine guidelines,” said a source. “The spike of cases makes it a little bit harder and more challenging to leave the country.”

Gilas reached out to several players to join the bubble. La Salle coach Derick Pumaren said Archer recruits Raven Cortez and Kevin Quiambao were invited but “they decided to concentrate on their studies as the bubble is from March 15-April 15 so by the time they get out, classes will be done or almost done.” Kobe Paras begged off from the last bubble to recuperate from a nagging injury and his status hasn’t changed while Javi Gomez de Liano is focusing on academics. With several invitations declined, Gilas brought in Ateneo players to fill the gap. The pool in Calamba lists 12 active Ateneo players, including Gilas regulars Ange Kouame, Dwight Ramos and Dave Ildefonso. Also in Calamba are La Salle’s Justine Baltazar, UP’s Carl Tamayo, FEU’s RJ Abarrientos and four Gilas picks from last Sunday’s PBA special draft Jordan Heading, Will Navarro, Jaydee Tungcab and Tzaddy Rangel.

“The Nietos, Isaac Go, Juan Gomez de Liano and Rey Suerte all have additional health protocols they need to fulfill before they will be allowed into the bubble,” said Gilas project director Tab Baldwin. “Javi and Kemark Carino have decided to prioritize academic requirements at this time which I fully support. They will be invited in at a later date. At this point, we will not be tapping any PBA players for the bubble.”