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Will Kai Sotto play for Gilas Pilipinas in FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers?

 Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

Kai Sotto arrived at the Quest Hotel in Clark, Pampanga on Sunday afternoon with the rest of Gilas Pilipinas, but there's no assurance that he can play in the upcoming FIBA Asia Cup 2021 qualifiers.

"You're really gonna have a hard time hiding a 7-4 guy," quipped coach Ryan Gregorio, special assistant to Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) President Al Panlilio, regarding Sotto.

Indeed, Sotto was met with cheers when he stepped off the bus along with the other national team players. The teenager arrived in the country last June 1, but had to undergo quarantine before he could join Gilas Pilipinas.

Gregorio said that while Sotto's arrival with the team is certainly a reason for excitement, it doesn't mean that he will get to suit up for Gilas Pilipinas in the qualifiers.

"He will still be evaluated in terms of his match fitness. That is part of my discussion with Coach Tab Baldwin," Gregorio explained. "We want to make sure that we are not compromising his health."

"He has not done a lot of basketball in the last few days, and we want to immerse him slowly. We want to make sure that he knows the defensive scheme of things, our concepts on offense, our strategies on our scouting reports and all, and of course, at the top of it is build chemistry," he added.

A more definite answer regarding Sotto's status will come in the next couple of days, as the coaching staff puts together its "final 12" for the Philippines' first game of the qualifiers against South Korea on June 16. 

In a previous interview on "The Chasedown," Gregorio also stressed that they want to make sure that Sotto "plays good basketball" once he officially steps on the court for the Philippines.

"What we want is for him to really play his best basketball. We're not gonna leave him out there just for the sake of him donning our jersey," he said. "Remember, he is going to be the future of Philippine basketball, and we just want to take care of him this early."

If Sotto plays for Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers, it will mark his debut for the Philippines senior team after several stints with the juniors squad.

Gilas plays South Korea on June 16 and 20, and Indonesia on June 18 for their final assignments of the Asia Cup qualifiers. The top two teams in each group advance to the FIBA Asia Cup, scheduled for August in Indonesia.

After the Asia Cup qualifiers, Gilas Pilipinas will fly to Belgrade, Serbia for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/06/13/21/kai-sotto-gilas-pilipinas-fiba-asia-cup-qualifiers

Gilas Pilipinas arrives in Clark for FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers

Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

The Philippine national basketball team has arrived in Clark ahead of the third and final window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 qualifiers this week.

The team arrived at the Quest Hotel on Sunday afternoon, shortly after the arrival of the South Korean national team.

Aside from Gilas Pilipinas, Clark will welcome South Korea, China, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, and Indonesia for the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 qualifiers. All teams will be billeted at the Quest Hotel, while games will be held at the nearby Angeles University Foundation Gym.

"Hopefully, we are able to really show the traditional Filipino hospitality to our guests," said Vince Dizon, president of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA).

Butch Antonio, deputy executive director of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), assured that foreign teams followed strict health and safety protocols before arriving in the country.

Teams were tested 12, seven, and two days before their departure for Manila. They were given another RT-PCR test upon arrival to the country, and will be tested anew on June 17th.

"Testing is done very much regularly, just to make sure that the athletes are safe," said Antonio. "Meron pa at the end of the tournament, should they require, we can arrange for another test. That's a total of at least five tests."

Each player will have his own individual room. Should a player -- or any member of the delegation -- test positive, he will be isolated first in his room while organizers follow the protocols put together by FIBA as well as the Inter-Agency Task Force.

"We have a biosecurity group here that will address issues on positive results for players and delegates," Antonio assured.

Games start on June 16.

Gilas Pilipinas plays three games -- against South Korea on June 16 and 20, and against Indonesia on June 18. The top two teams from each group qualify for the FIBA Asia Cup proper, which will be held in Indonesia in August.

The Philippines currently has a 3-0 slate in group play, thanks to victories over Indonesia in February 2020 and against Thailand, twice, in November 2020.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/06/13/21/gilas-pilipinas-arrives-in-clark-for-fiba-asia-cup-qualifiers

WATCH: PCSO 5 PM Lotto Draw, June 13, 2021

NBL, WNBL to start first pro campaigns in July

Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

The long-awaited first professional seasons of the National Basketball League (NBL) and the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) will start in July.

Rhose Montreal, executive vice-president of the WNBL, said in a press conference on Saturday that they have decided to open their campaign in the first week of July, with both leagues following an "open circuit" system.

This means that teams will go from their houses and then to the venue and back, while strictly following the health and safety protocols being implemented by the league.

"(Our opening was) supposed to be on June 26," Montreal said. "But because there's a FIBA qualifier next week, the teams decided to give due respect and support to our Philippine team, so nag-move tayo to another date."

The tentative start date for the Chooks-to-Go backed leagues is now July 3, in two different venues in the North and South. The organizers have yet to announce the final venues, however.

"It's a circuit, it's not a bubble," Montreal said. "'Yung experience (of a) bubble, medyo hindi talaga siya healthy. So we're going to open an open circuit for the 5-on-5, for both the WNBL and NBL."

"(A bubble) is not really advisable, kasi it really affects the psychological (well-being) of the players. So ang atin talaga, we know naman ang Filipino culture, talagang close knit family tayo, 'di ba?" she added. 

"It's a challenge, but there will be symptoms monitoring from the start of the season to the last day of the championship," she assured.

The NBL concluded its 2020 season in a bubble in Pampanga in October 2020, with the Pampanga Delta emerging as champions after beating La Union PAOwer in the best-of-five finals.

Both the NBL and the WNBL received approval from the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) to turn professional last August.

Ahead of the 5-on-5 competition, both leagues held a 1-on-1 tournament in May.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/06/13/21/nbl-wnbl-to-start-first-pro-campaigns-in-july

WATCH: PCSO 2 PM Lotto Draw, June 13, 2021

MMA: Israel Adesanya retains belt in win over Marvin Vettori at UFC 263

 Israel Adesanya remains king of the UFC middleweight division.

Coming off his first career loss in a challenge to light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz, the UFC middleweight titleholder returned to his division and put on a clinic in defeating Italy's Marvin Vettori in the main event of Saturday night's UFC 263.

The judges' scorecards at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz., were 50-45 across the board for a unanimous decision.

Vettori (17-5-1) had a clear game plan which involved hunting down New Zealand's Adesanya (21-1), throwing heavy hands, then looking for a clinch along the cage in order to take things to the mat. He found just enough success to keep his opponent honest and go the distance, but Adesanya is simply on another level.

Adesanya landed low kicks over and over, evaded most of Vettori's shots and defended the bulk of the takedown attempts. 

He added in several head kicks which landed flush and his usual array of inventive strikes, and at times the bout seemed more a sparring session than a serious fight.

The evening's co-feature bout featured an electric moment, as Tijuana's Brandon Moreno became the first Mexican-born fighter to win a UFC championship. 

In a rematch of a classic title fight last December which went to a draw, Moreno defeated Brazil's Deiveson Figueiredo to claim the flyweight championship with a third-round submission.

Moreno (19-5-2) set the tone in the first by establishing a crisp jab and earning a knockdown with a left hook. He made his big adjustment from the first fight on the ground, and flustered Figueiredo (20-2-1), a man known for slick submissions.

From there it seemed a matter of time, and a rear-naked choke caused Figueiredo to surrender at the 2:26 mark of the third, leading to a delirious reaction from the heavily Hispanic crowd in Arizona.

"I used all six months for this. Starting in January, starting the year, making drills, to be better today, and watch me (expletive) now," said Moreno.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/06/13/21/ufc-263-results-israel-adesanya-retains