Cone sticking with Aguilar, Amos as Gilas waits for update on Sotto’s injury scare

MANILA — Gilas Pilipinas is hoping for the best as young big man Kai Sotto suffered an apparent leg injury in the 2024-25 season of the Japan B.League.

With still 6:20 left in the first quarter of the Koshigaya Alphas’ bout against the Seahorses Mikawa, Sotto, who was posting up his Zach Auguste, fell onto the floor after seemingly tweaking his left knee.

Sotto, who appeared for only 3:40 minutes in the game, did not return to the bout but returned to the bench. They eventually lost in a slim manner, 79-77, but there are still no updates regarding Kai’s injury.

With this uncertainty, Gilas head coach Tim Cone is keeping his options open anew — more specifically, with Japeth Aguilar and Mason Amos — as they are set to compete in the fourth window of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers next month in a pair of away games.

“That’s why we have Japeth. Japeth is there to replace any of the bigs that we have,” said Cone following Barangay Ginebra’s 93-81 victory over San Miguel Beer on Sunday.

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Aguilar and Amos have been included in Gilas’ pool since Cone’s appointment to the National Team, and it was due to them previously dealing with the injuries of Jamie Malonzo and AJ Edu.

And as Gilas is bracing for the possible absence of Sotto — who impressed in the November 2024 window of the Qualifiers — Cone is staying true to their original plan of a slim pool which only increased from 12 to 15 after the additions of Aguilar, Amos, and Ange Kouame.

“If you can tell me there’s another big man out there that matches Japeth’s size and ability, then I’ll be happy to look at him. But we also have Mason Amos to fortify us if we lose someone like Jamie or if one of the other guards can’t play,” said Cone.

“I know there’s a real clamor for a bigger pool, but it’s just the way the windows are set up. The preparation time is limited so you really have to make the most of that time. We can’t afford to try and teach 18 or 19 players and get them into rhythm. We need to keep the roster tight so we can maximize our preparation,” he added.

“If we had two or three months, we could consider expanding the pool, but with the way things are now, and if you talk to any national team coach nowadays, they’ll tell you it’s the same everywhere. We’re not the only ones doing it this way.”

“We’re open to making adjustments, but right now, we’re sticking with this approach. We’re going with 14 players,” he added.

Fortunately for the Nationals, Malonzo is now cleared to play and is just getting back into game shape before returning to the hardwood.

They would now just hope that the 6-foot-7 high-flyer as well as Sotto would be ready before they ramp up their preparations for their February 20 clash against Chinese Taipei, and February 23 rematch against New Zealand.