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IGNITE coach Brian Shaw was shocked by the news that Kai Sotto was getting engaged to Gilas Pilipinas, but understood the 18-year-old’s desire to represent his country on the international stage.
“That’s new to me. I haven’t heard it yet,” he said on Friday (Manila time).
Not that it’s a bad thing, the former NBA player said.
“That’s a good thing if he wants to play and represent his country and try to help them qualify for upcoming international events. Both basketball and Kai going to play will benefit him.”
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However, Sotto’s engagement raises an interesting scheduling conflict with the third window of the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers in Clark, which will coincide with the planned NBA G League season.
Shaw is firm in his belief that, as admirable as Sotto’s commitment to the national team is, the eight-foot center will be more tested if he sticks with Ignite.
“I still believe that the competition that will play here in the bubble will be better competition than the one that will play there. That is the decision that it will make and that we will have to live with,” he said.
Still, Shaw praised Sotto, who has been notable despite his number of pedestrians in the two practices the select team had against the G League veterans.
“According to the way the game is going, he’s not going to hit super good numbers in a situation like this because it’s a guard game. He doesn’t get as many hits as everyone,” Shaw said.
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“But you can see his skill set, his IQ. He does a lot of good things on the court. You can’t really judge him by the number of points he gets here and there. He’s getting stronger and understanding better. He’s improving and I’m very , very impressed with his skill set for a guy his size. “
