MANILA, Philippines — The Hiroshima Dragonflies have reaped the benefits of their patience as they signed Filipino center Kai Sotto to a contract until the end of the 2022-23 B. League season.
Having just wrapped up his second season with the Adelaide 36ers in the Australian NBL, it was announced on Tuesday that Sotto would be joining Hiroshima for the rest of the season.
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Dragonflies general manager Shuji Okazaki bared that the team had offered a spot in the roster for Sotto even before he returned to Adelaide but had to give way to Sotto's plans to play another season Down Under.
"I thought Kai was going to be fitting our basketball style. We sent him an offer early on, but his ultimate goal was going to the NBA and he wanted to earn experience in Australia, so we gave up that time," he said.
"Since then, we have continued negotiations and communication with an eye on this season and next season," he added.
The Dragonflies previously had a Filipino import in Justine Baltazar but mutually parted ways with him in the middle of the season.
Now, Hiroshima is fouth in the standings with a 27-9 win-loss slate.
With Sotto at the helm, the Dragonflies are hoping to make a deep run for the championship.
Okazaki, for his part, puts premium on Sotto's height and the dominance he can bring to the paint for Hiroshima.
"If Kai Sotto joins our team, we are able to run the Big Line up and create new rotation. We also will have a huge advantage for simply inside of the paint with his height and talent," he said.
Apart from his playing in Hiroshima, Sotto is also expected to be on deck for national team duty in the final window of the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers later this month.