KAI Zachary Sotto will now play for a different Japan B.League team for the rest of the season after transferring to the Yokohama B-Corsairs when his old squad Hiroshima Dragonflies decided to loan him.
The 7-foot-3 Filipino center, who has yet to play a game this season due to a back injury, has finalized his transfer and will now continue the season with the B-Corsairs.
The Gilas Pilipinas forward highlighted his desire to improve as a player and win games with the B-Corsairs, who presently have a 10-14 win-loss record and are ranked sixth in the B. League’s Central Division.
“I wanna thank the team Yokohama B-CORSAIRS and the organization for trusting and signing me to play for the team, despite coming off an injury,” Sotto said.
Sotto then expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to play for the city of Yokohama and potentially help them win more games this season when he returns.
“I’m very blessed to be given this opportunity and I will make the most out of it. I’m very excited to play for the city of Yokohama. I can’t wait to win more games and get better as a player,” he continued.
Meanwhile, B-Corsairs team manager Ken Takeda is delighted to have Sotto because of the potential he can provide on both sides of the floor for the squad, potentially helping them out of their rut.
“Kai Sotto, who has joined the team on loan from Hiroshima, is a very plomising young player with a size of 220cm (7-foot-3) and a soft shooting touch,” Takeda said in a press release.
“We have high expectations for him as a new option on offense as well as inside defense and rebounding. I believe that with the addition of Sotto, the team will gain even more energy and accelerate into the mid-game and second half games,” he added.
Indeed, a lot may be expected of Sotto, given that he spent two seasons with the Adelaide 36ers in Australia’s National Basketball League before heading to Japan.
He then joined the Hiroshima Dragonflies, where he averaged 9.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 21 games before seeing action in the playoffs last season.
Filipino fans are also looking forward to seeing him play alongside former B.League MVP Yuki Kawamura, a talented point guard who averages 25.2 points and 5.8 assists per game.
The Filipino center, on the other hand, is yet to play a game this B.League season due to a chronic back injury he sustained at the FIBA World Cup 2023, where he averaged 6.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in restricted minutes.
