Kai Sotto finally got to play a seniors game in front of a home crowd on Monday evening.
During his Gilas Men debut last year during the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers – and, later on, the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Serbia – the games took place behind closed doors.
This time around, the 20-year-old relished playing in front of the 19,829 fans inside the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
And Sotto loved every second of it.
“Siyempre, sobrang happy na every time ko ma-suot ‘yung jersey ng Pilipinas. Pero ibang klaseng pakiramdam, lalo na kapag home court,” shared the 7-foot-3 big man who plays for Adelaide. “First time ko lang maglaro sa home court na may mga taong nanonood, kasi last time nasa bubble kami.
“So it really means a lot from a players’ standpoint to a Filipino standpoint, and talagang nakakapagpasaya ng feeling.”
In his first home game for the seniors’ squad, Sotto got 16 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks. He helped Gilas take an 84-46 rout of Saudi Arabia.
For every jam he had, the crowd cheered. For every dunk and swat, everyone wooed.
Despite the show they put on, it was hard to ignore the boos coming from the crowd. And they were not for Saudi Arabia.
Gilas head coach Chot Reyes was public enemy no. 1. Every time he appeared on screen, fans jeered wildly.
And Sotto said that it hurt him to see his mentor being treated that way by his own compatriots.
“One of the main reasons I played sa Gilas kasi nalaman ko si Coach Chot ang coach dahil bata pa lang ako pangarap ko na maging coach yan.
“Sinabi ko sa kanya kanina na ‘yun nga isang karangalan na pinangarap ko ‘yun dati pa, and just to see a guy na willing to sacrifice na saluhin lahat ng mga bad stuff, na nakikita namin na siya sumasalo ng lahat, para sa isang player nakaka-motivate at nakaka-inspire at the same time,” said Sotto.
During his second stint with Gilas, Reyes had always wanted to give Sotto the best exposure.
He was the one who recommended to the Sotto family to head abroad and be guided by East West Private. Moreover, Sotto was always exposed to the seniors’ team even if he was still at the youth level.
And now it’s time for Sotto to give back to the man who trusted him.
“Talagang ako for me I played my best sa itong two games na ‘to para kay Coach Chot,” said Sotto, who averaged 13.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks in Window 4.
