Kai Sotto regains top spot in Chooks-to-Go/NBTC 24

After two weeks, Ateneo Blue Eaglet big man and 23 for 2023 Gilas cadet Kai Sotto has regained the honor as the top high school prospect in Week 7 of the Chooks-to-Go/National Basketball Training Center 24.

Sotto, who is the top high school center in the country, lifted Ateneo to an 86-70 win over the NU Bullpups last Thursday, with an incredible statline of 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting, 16 rebounds, and 11 blocks. This was the first triple-double performance in the UAAP Juniors Basketball division since 2003.

“I text him, he texts me and he texted me, ‘Coach, abangan niyo. Eto na, makikita niyo yung totoong Kai Sotto.’ True enough, he proved to be a man of his word,” shared Ateneo head coach Joe Silva about the best Grade 9 cager.

Ateneo floor general SJ Belangel, who had 17 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, and five steals, remains the top point guard but fell to number two.

Rounding up the top five are Joel Cagulangan of La Salle, UP-commit and 23 for 2023 cadet Will Gozum, and UAAP Most Valuable Player CJ Cansino of UST.

After posting better numbers in Game One, Dave Ildefonso of Ateneo rose to seven, overtaking NU’s Rhayann Amsali.

Making the biggest leap in the penultimate week of the rankings was NU’s Terrence Fortea. Fortea, a member of the Batang Gilas squad that won gold in the 2017 SEABA Championship, rose from 19 to 14 after pacing the Bullpups in Game One with 21 markers.

Here is the complete rankings after Week 7:

1. Kai Sotto, ADMU (2)
2. SJ Belangel, ADMU (1)
3. Joel Cagulangan, LSGH (3)
4. Will Gozum, MU (4)
5. CJ Cansino, UST (5)
6. L-Jay Gonzales, FEU (6)
7. Dave Ildefonso, ADMU (8)
8. Rhayann Amsali, NU (7)
9. Aaron Fermin, AU (9)
10. Clint Escamis, MU (10)
11. John Galinato, CKSC (11)
12. Inand Fornilos, LSGH (12)
13. Warren Bonifacio, MU (13)
14. Terrence Fortea, NU (19)
15. RJ Abarrientos, FEU (14)
16. Evan Nelle, SBC (15)
17. Joem Sabandal, ADU (16)
18. Beirn Laurente, UV (17)
19. Raven Cortez, DLSZ (20)
20. Miguel Oczon, NU (24)
21. Alex Visser, SHS-Cebu (18)
22. Mac Guadana, LPU (21)
23. Harvey Pagsanjan, HCHS (23)
24. Joshua Yerro, UV (22)

On February 27, Chooks-to-Go/NBTC 24 will go live at the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas Facebook page. The night’s guest will be NBTC alumnus, former SEA Games Gold Medalist, and current KIA Picanto Glenn Khobuntin.

Stay tuned, as the show begins at 7:00pm.

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The Chooks-to-Go/National Basketball Training Center 24 is the first-ever attempt to rank the top high school prospects in the country today.

The weekly ranking used the following criteria: league stats, impact in team, team record, leadership, defense, offense, and level of competition.

These rankings will be used to determine the 24 players who will take part in the annual SM-NBTC High School All-Star Game on March at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.