GILAS Pilipinas is counting on its adaptability and next-man-up mentality as it tackles the first window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers minus injured giants June Mar Fajardo and AJ Edu.
Mr. Fajardo is out two weeks due to a calf injury he sustained in last week’s PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals while Mr. Edu will only be back in action in April after tearing a meniscus last November.
This leaves Kai Sotto and stand-in Japeth Aguilar with the main task of patrolling the lanes against Hong Kong Thursday on the road and Chinese Taipei on Sunday at home with forward Carl Tamayo possibly being converted to center.
“We lost a lot of size losing June Mar (Fajardo) and AJ (Edu) so Japeth (Aguilar) is God-sent,” coach Tim Cone said of Mr. Aguilar, who was not a part of the Gilas 12 but was tapped to replace Mr. Edu and join the 11-man crew to the opening windows.
“Japeth (Aguilar) being able to back up Kai (Sotto) is going to be big for us. Carl Tamayo is our third-stringer center so he may have to be play out of position. These things happen to any basketball team all the time. You just have to roll with the punches and continue to deal with this.”
Mr. Sotto expressed readiness to take a bigger responsibility with the help of Mr. Aguilar, who is suiting up amid his wife’s delivery of his newborn daughter over the weekend, and the rest.
Mr. Fajardo, for his part, said he has big faith in the 7-foot-3 Mr. Sotto and the Nationals. — Olmin Leyba
