After a month of wait, Kai Sotto is expected to arrive in the country tonight.
Sotto has promised Gilas that he will be part of Gilas’ June games when he signed with the Adelaide 36ers last month.
“As of our last monitoring, he is expected to fly in tonight,” said Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas special assistant to the president Ryan Gregorio.
Current quarantine measures state that people arriving from other countries to Manila are required to undergo a minimum 10-day mandatory hotel quarantine. On the seventh day, the individual must undergo a second RT-PCR test on the seventh day from arrival.
If he or she tests negative, he or she can continue to quarantine at home.
Back on April 26, Gilas resumed its training for the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers and the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna. The team momentarily broke camp for a week before returning on May 22.
During that time, the 19-year-old Sotto had also been training in Miami with coaches tapped by East West Private. He is also said to be in “excellent basketball shape.”
Based on the protocols, the 7-foot-3 big man will only get to join the team on June 11. Gilas are expected to be in Clark by then.
It will still be enough time for the nationals to integrate Sotto as the Asia Cup Qualifiers begin June 16 while the OQT is on June 29.
