MANILA, Philippines — There won’t be any let-up from Kai Sotto and the rest of Gilas Pilipinas as they prepare for their final game in the 2023 FIBA World Cup against regional rival China at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Saturday.
Even after a demoralizing loss against lower-ranked South Sudan on Thursday night, Sotto knows that they won’t hang their heads before tip-off against the Chinese.
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Rather, they’re willing to do whatever it takes to barge into the win column.
“Saturday's our last game. So we'll just give our best, last game na yun,” said Sotto.
“Siyempre, as a player, never ka naman pumupunta sa game na iniisip mo na, 'O.K. na yan, bigay na natin sa kanila.’”
Even though they are now out of contention for the outright Olympic berth because of the loss to South Sudan, Gilas still has a lot to fight for come Saturday.
First, the Nationals will look to avoid a winless campaign in the tournament.
They’ll also be attempting to snap a nine-game losing streak stretching from the 2019 World Cup, which was coincidentally held in China.
Now with the four losses behind them, Sotto and Gilas will set their sights on what’s in front of them.
“I mean, it’s the fourth game, fourth loss na din. So… Pagbalik namin sa dugout, I think we’re just gonna look out on what we can improve on for the next game and tomorrow we’ll focus on China,” he said.