Gone are the days when basketball players above seven-feet are not allowed to stay beyond the arc.
In order to survive in the international landscape, every player on the floor must be able to knock down the three-ball.
And so one of the coaches that Kai Sotto’s management East West Private tapped for his personal development was “The Rifleman” himself, Chuck Person.
For those who don’t know, Person was a knockdown shooter during his 14-year career in the NBA.
And the 18-year-old Sotto can’t forget the first time he met Person.
“Actually, he gave me a lot of confidence to trust my shot kasi ‘yung mga first months na nagte-training kami, pinapatira niya ako sa malayo eh,” recalled the 7-foot-2 Sotto.
“Sabi ko sa kanya, hindi naman ako si Steph Curry para shumoot ng ganyan. ‘Yun pala, tinitignan niya lang ‘yung range ko at ‘yung kapasidad ng mga shots ko.”
Person was a deadly shooter during his stints with Indiana, Minnesota, San Antonio, Charlotte, and Seattle, knocking down 36.2-percent of his three-point shots.
After his playing career ended, he became an assistant coach with Cleveland, Indiana, Sacramento, and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Having seen the game evolve right in front of his eyes, Person made sure to work on Sotto’s confidence to heave shots anywhere on the floor.
“Tinulungan niya ako paano maging ready sa shot ko at maging confident.
“After ng training namin, simula nung naglaro ako sa TSF [The Skill Factory], dinala ko lang sa laro ko and sa tingin ko naman, maganda ang naging effect,” he continued.
Months into his training, it is safe to say that Sotto is confident with his shot as he enters the next stage of his young career — the G League.
When asked if he would take the last shot over five-star Filipino-American recruit Jalen Green, he had this to say:
“It depends on the coach. But if the ball goes to me, I’ll take the last shot.”
For Sotto — who had a long journey that took him from numerous schools here in the country to America, extending his range — a shot that he did not have before is the perfect microcosm of his journey so far.
“Lagi kong sinasabi na dream big kasi totoo talaga ‘yung walang imposible basta maniwala ka sa sarili mo at kaya mong gawin. Para makakuha ka ng confidence sa sarili mo, kailangan mo magsipag at mag-work hard.”
