Even with Kai Sotto's ACL scare, Tim Cone still rules out expanding Gilas pool

Coach Tim Cone is still sticking to his Gilas pool even if it means he has to wait for Kai Sotto to return probably by next year. PBA Images

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--Even with Kai Sotto down with an ACL injury, coach Tim Cone is not yet keen on having some additions to his current Gilas Pilipinas pool as the FIBA Asia Cup draws near.

Back in the Philippines after the struggles the national team faced in the February window of the qualifying phase, Cone reiterated that there will be no changes in the Gilas pool despite the increasing clamor from fans.

"We came in with a program, and we're going to stick to that program as much as we can," Cone said after he returned to his PBA team Ginebra on Wednesday night for Game 1 of the Commissioner's Cup semifinals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

"At this point, we're not going to add and subtract from the pool unless there's guys out there that don't want to join us anymore, but as long as these guys want to continue to play and represent, we're going to let them represent."

He then implied that expanding the pool would mean additional expenditures and practice time needed to jell as a unit.

Currently, Gilas has a 14-man pool, although the national team added Ange Kouame during the November window and Troy Rosario during the February window out of the injury woes sonly that they never got to play in any of the games.

Speaking of the injury woes, Cone admitted that Sotto's absence is too huge of an impact.

"The adjustment playing without Kai was bigger than we thought," Cone continued.

He earlier said that the seven-foot-three beanpole will not make it to the FIBA Asia Cup due to the recovery period for his surgically repaired right knee and could be out for up to a full year.

Despite that, he lauded AJ Edu, who despite only getting to play for Gilas for the first few times under him did remarkable performances especially against Qatar in the Doha International Cup and New Zealand in the FIBA ACQ.

"I thought AJ played well in spots. He had 15 rebounds against New Zealand. It's amazing to be able to get that against the New Zealand team. He played great against Qatar, but still, we're trying to integrate him in," Cone further said.

With a six-month wait before the FIBA Asia Cup proper, Cone will now focus on the Gin Kings' campaign for the rest of the PBA season, the ongoing Commissioner's Cup semis where they took Game 1 against the NorthPort Batang Pier and the Philippine Cup starting on April 5.

Follow him on X: @IvanSaldajeno