Kai Sotto swears he doesn’t feely any pressure playing on home soil as the 7-3 -player gets ready to suit up for Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA World Cup that gets going this Friday.
Gracing an event by German sportswear company PUMA, Sotto said the cheers of the crowd will pump him up as the team braces for a tough opening day game against Dominican Republic before an expected mammoth crowd at the Philippine Arena.
“It feels good. Home is home. Everytime I play here, I am happy and I feel no pressure,” Sotto, 21, said during the affair at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati.
Sotto insists strutting his wares in the country will be an added boost to his bid to perform well.
“This is extra motivation for me to push myself. Their (fans) support is a blessing and a challenge to do my best and make them proud.”
Barely 24 hours earlier, Sotto was on the court when Gilas whipped Ivory Coast in a goodwill game.
He made ten points, hauled four rebounds and had two assists in the squad’s 85-62 victory at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
Together with Utah Jazz star Jordan Clarkson, pro league stars JuneMar Fajardo, Scottie Thomspon and a bevy of fast-rising stars, Sotto is expected to shore up the country’s bid to become the best finishing Asian team during the 25 August to 10 September cagefest.
The top Asian finishes gets an automatic slot to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Joined by his family, Sotto added that he can’t wait to see action as he drools over the prospects of seeing the National Basketball Association stars making their way to Manila.
Sotto will be rejoining his Gilas mates when they play Montenegro Sunday and Mexico on Monday.
