GILAS PILIPINAS will be without Kai Sotto for an extended length of time after he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) or torn ligament in his knee. Fortunately, Kevin Quiambao and AJ Edu are now available for a return.
The absence of Sotto would surely have an impact on the national team’s performance, but having two of their young players available in the last round of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers would be a significant boost.
Size is essential for Gilas Pilipinas in their next showdown against New Zealand. Aside from that, Quiambao and Edu’s familiarity with the current system contributed to the current pool’s success.
Sotto’s Knee Injury Update
According to Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone, Sotto’s surgery is scheduled for February 1. The prize big man will next begin on a difficult trip to recuperate from the injury, which is considered every athlete’s nightmare.
“I think what I heard last is that he’s gonna be, the surgery’s gonna be around the 1st of February. Sometime this week, probably, he might have the surgery,” Cone told the media in an interview.
“And then from there, we count the months. Minimum nine, probably 12. A guy that’s 7’3 usually takes longer, so we’re thinking maybe a year. He’ll be out for maybe a year,” the Barangay Ginebra head coach went on to say.
Despite this terrible turnout in Kai’s career, Cone remains confident that the young center will return stronger than before. Putting his trust in today’s advanced medical methods.
“He’s young, 22. At that age, he can easily recover from that. For the medical profession, it’s really amazing these days what they can do,” said Cone.
Time to Move On
No matter how terrible or devastating the scenario is for Cone, all he can do is move on and find another means to avoid having his system halted as they continue their Asia Cup campaign.
“I can always say this about injuries, and it’s almost cruel to say it, but this has always been the philosophy, I think the coaching philosophy: You feel bad about injuries for 10 minutes, then you move on,” he said.
“There’s nothing you can do about it. Just move on. Now you gotta figure out how we’re gonna deal with that void on the team and how you’re gonna make it.”
“You feel crushed for 10 minutes, but time to move on. That’s what we gotta do as a team, move on,” Cone added.
Quiambao and Edu In
Meanwhile, Quiambao, who sustained a sprained ankle, and Edu, who missed the November window, are both fit for national team duty. Given Sotto’s absence, this was great timing.
“Kevin’s fine, he spoke to us, he’ll be with us in Doha, and we’ll bring AJ into the team,” revealed PBA’s winningest tactician on Wednesday evening.
Gilas will compete in the Doha International Cup, where they will face Qatar, Lebanon, and Egypt. This trip is critical not only for their forthcoming matches against Chinese Taipei and New Zealand, but also for the Asia Cup later this year.
Quiambao, Edu, and the rest of the Gilas are slated to arrive at the Inspire Camp in Laguna during the PBA’s mid-conference break in February, before departing on the 13th for the pocket tournament in Qatar.
