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By ADRIAN STEWART CO
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Tuesday, January 3, 2017
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MANILA – The future of Philippine basketball looks brighter as Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) adds towering centers Kai Sotto and Ethan Kirkness to the Batang Gilas Pilipinas squad.
Batang Gilas team manager Andrew Teh said that the 6-foot-10 Sotto and 6-foot-9 Kirkness will be great additions to the national basketball team set to compete in the 2017 FIBA Asia under-16 juniors championship.
“While they are just 14 years old at the moment, we think it will be good for them to be inserted in the Batang Gilas lineup so that they will get used to international competition,” Teh said.
“These two boys will be our twin towers in the future,” he added. “It’s not every day that you see kids as tall as Kai and Ethan. So we don’t want to waste the opportunity to include them in our Batang Gilas team.”
Sotto is currently part of the Ateneo Blue Eaglets team in UAAP Season 79 juniors basketball action. He is the son of former PBA journeyman Ervin Sotto, who played a reserve role with theAir 21 Express, Barangay Ginebra Kings and Alaska Aces in the PBA.
Kirkness, on the other hand, is a Filipino-Australian big man who became eligible to suit up for the national team after acquiring his Philippine passport. He is currently being recruited by several collegiate teams from the UAAP and NCAA.
“I am very proud and honored for the opportunity, but I also feel that it is a huge responsibility,” says Kirkness, who will turn 15 in February 2017. “I hope that I measure and can be successful.”
In 2013, the average height of Batang Gilas was just 1.82m, and their tallest players were standing 1.90m. In 2015, the Batang Gilas were even smaller with an average height of only 1.80m./PN
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