KAI SOTTO’s much-awaited comeback is on the horizon.
Mr. Sotto, at last, returned to non-contact training in Japan on Sunday to turn the next page in his recovery journey from an unfortunate anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear on his left knee last January.
He went under the knife for surgery in the same month and now with seven months at bay, Mr. Sotto is back on the court to rejoin the training camp of the Koshigaya Alphas in Saitama before the 2025-2026 Japan B.League opens in October.
The 7-foot-3 Filipino sensation was seen conducting solo shooting and dribbling skills according to his social media posts, signaling an inch closer to a return not only for the Alphas but also for Gilas Pilipinas.
Mr. Sotto, who did not join Gilas’ trip for the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in Saudi Arabia to continue his rehab in Japan, averaged 13.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks for Koshigaya, which deeply felt his absence en route to early elimination at 20th place with a 19-41 slate.
But the hole he left for Gilas was bigger after a mammoth campaign in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, where the Nationals finished second with a 4-2 slate to book an Asia Cup ticket.
Alongside naturalized player Justin Brownlee, Mr. Sotto served as Gilas’ anchor with double-double norms of 15.5 points and 12.5 rebounds laced by 3.8 assists, 0.5 steal and 2.3 blocks for an all-around brilliance in four games.
His best game was a 19-point, 10-rebound, two-block showing as Gilas beat New Zealand, 93-89, at home for the first time ever.
Without Mr. Sotto in the Asia Cup, Gilas struggled early including tough defeats to Chinese Taipei and New Zealand anew before grinding through the quarterfinals, where its campaign ended with an 84-60 loss to two-time reigning champion Australia.
Gilas eventually finished at No. 7, just behind Chinese Taipei, South Korea and the semifinalists Australia, China, Iran and New Zealand, to improve from its ninth-place finish in 2022, the country’s first quarterfinal miss since 2007.
But with Mr. Sotto slowly but surely coming back to fine form, all signs lead to the charges of coach Tim Cone having a full force unit once again in time for the start of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in November and possibly the Southeast Asian Games in December. — John Bryan Ulanday
