MANILA, Philippines — The absence of Kai Sotto in the third and final window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers proved to be a major setback for Gilas Pilipinas, as the team suffered consecutive defeats against Taiwan and New Zealand.
Head coach Tim Cone acknowledged the challenge of playing without the 7-foot-3 center, who is sidelined due to a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in his knee.
“We lost a really, obviously, key, key player for a year in terms of Kai Sotto. So we’re still trying to adjust how to play without him. That’s the things we’re gonna be talking about and thinking about as we go into the FIBA Asia Cup,” said Cone after Gilas fell to New Zealand, 87-70, in Auckland on Sunday.
Sotto played a pivotal role in Gilas’ 93-89 upset win over New Zealand in their first matchup last November at the Mall of Asia Arena. The young big man delivered an impressive performance, finishing with 19 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and two blocks in a highly physical contest.
Without Sotto in the rematch, New Zealand capitalized on its size advantage, led by Tohi Smith-Milner, who dominated with 25 points, nine rebounds, and two assists.
The loss to New Zealand meant that Gilas conceded the top spot in Group B, as the Tall Blacks secured a 5-1 record to close the qualifiers. Meanwhile, the Philippines settled for second place with a 4-2 record after also falling to Taiwan, 91-84, last Thursday.
“This was important for seeding, so we really wanted to get that seeding. But that’s now going to go to New Zealand. We’re going to have a tougher road through that Cup. That’s something that’s uppermost in our minds as well,” Cone added.
Gilas played five games in just over a week as part of their preparation for the qualifiers, including their participation in the 2nd Doha Invitational Cup in Qatar. The team opened the four-nation tournament with a 74-71 comeback win against Qatar but suffered heavy defeats in their final two games—75-54 against Lebanon and 86-55 against Egypt.
Despite the setbacks, Cone remains optimistic, viewing the tight schedule as a learning experience for the FIBA Asia Cup 2025, which will take place this August in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
“We were trying to look at a bigger picture in terms of the FIBA Asia coming up because we know we’re not going to have much time, maybe eight, 10 days at most to prepare for that tournament,” Cone said, noting that the team has now lost four consecutive games, including the Doha tournament.
“So everything we do, just like coach Judd saying, it’s cumulative. It’s cumulative experiences. We are trying to take each window as an experience and move it onto the next one and onto the next one, and hopefully grow it and improve.”
With a few months left before the FIBA Asia Cup, Gilas will need to make key adjustments to fill the void left by Sotto and improve their performance ahead of the tournament.
