NEW beginnings await Kai Sotto in the National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia as he signed a multi-year deal with the Adelaide 36ers on Wednesday.
And as he embarks on this new journey, his eyes are locked in on honing his game, all the more as he'll be exposed to some of the best players Down Under.
"It’s a different kind of competition. Australia and US are very different. Magkaibang lugar at different style of play," said Sotto, who is already pumped to begin his voyage for the 2021-22 NBL season.
"I'm looking forward to playing against yung mga Australian national team players. Sila yung best sa bansang yun at magiging magandang experiece yun para sa akin na makalaban sila. Hopefully yung iba, magiging kakampi ko rin. Sobrang excited lang ako na kung ano man yung mangyari pag naglaro na ako doon."
The 7-foot-3 center has every reason to be excited as the NBL is truly peppered with players who have worn those Boomers' green-and-gold.
Just take the Australian side which finished fourth in the 2019 Fiba Asia Cup in China.
As much as that team was led by the likes of NBA players in Patty Mills, Joe Ingles, Andrew Bogut, Matthew Dellavedova, and Aron Baynes, the rest of the squad came from the NBL.
Among those include Melbourne United's Chris Goulding, Jock Landale, and David Barlow; South East Melbourne Phoenix's Mitch Creek and Cameron Gliddon; and Brisbane Bullets' Nathan Sobey.
There's more if you'd look at the Boomers squad which won gold in the 2017 Fiba Asia Cup in Lebanon.
Sydney Kings big man Daniel Kickert led Australia with his 12.3 points on 40-percent shooting from threes, to go with 4.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 21.7 minutes, while also providing support was Brisbane's Jason Cadee, who netted 10.0 points on 39-percent shooting, alongside 4.7 assists and 2.5 boards in 23.2 minutes.
Jason Cadee and Mitch Creek lead Brisbane and South East Melbourne Phoenix, respectively.
Also part of that squad are Perth Wildcats' Mitch Norton and Todd Blanchfield, Melbourne United's Mitch McCarron, Sydney guard Brad Newley, and Brisbane center Matt Hodgson.
But it's not limited to the Boomers as New Zealand's Tall Blacks are also well represented in the league.
Twins Corey and Tai Webster are still teammates with the New Zealand Breakers after leading the Kiwis in their 19th place finish in the 2019 Fiba World Cup. Corey led the Tall Blacks in scoring with his 22.8 points on 55-percent shooting from threes, on top of 5.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.0 steal in 29.8 minutes, while Tai provided support with his 13.4 points on 44-percent shooting, along with 4.8 assists and 4.2 rebounds in 27.5 minutes.
With them in the Breakers are Thomas Abercrombie, Robert Loe, and Finn Delany, while other Tall Blacks in the NBL include Shea Ili of the Melbourne United, and Cairns Taipans' Jordan Ngatai and Jarrod Kenny.
Meanwhile, other Tall Blacks in the NBL who suited up in New Zealand's fourth place run in the 2018 Fiba Asia Cup include South East Melbourne slasher Reuben Te Rangi and Sydney center Jordan Hunter.
It's a stacked opposition, but Sotto could also take solace with the familiar faces he is set to face off against, some of which he already met in the international youth level.
Leading the charge is 7-foot banger Samson Froling of the Illawara Hawks, who averaged 11.4 points on 44-percent shooting, to go with 7.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks in 26.3 minutes for Australia in the 2019 Fiba Under-19 World Cup in Greece.
The young Boomers beat Sotto's Gilas Pilipinas Youth, 82-60, in the classification phase en route to their ninth place finish in the tilt.
Also part of that squad are Tamuri Wigness and Callum Dalton of Brisbane, and Perth's Wani Swaka Lo Buluk.
In the Asian level, the Sotto-led Philippines also faced Australia but lost in the semifinals, 77-43.
Part of that crew included Perth guard's Luke Travers as the Boomers captured gold in the 2018 Under-16 Asian Championship in Foshan.
On the other hand, New Zealand was led by 6-foot-6 banger Max Darling of Illawara, who netted 13.7 points on 46-percent shooting, alongside 9.3 boards. 1.7 assists, and 1.3 blocks in 27.1 minutes.
With Darling leading the charge, the Tall Blacks got the better of Gilas Youth, 76-70, in the battle for 13th place in the 2019 Fiba Under-19 World Cup.
Still, there's more to the NBL than just the national team players.
Aussie players who have made it to the NBA are also thriving in the league led by Cairns' 6-foot-10 center Nathan Jawai, who played for the Toronto Raptors and Minnesota Timberwolves from 2008 to 2010; Illawara's 6-foot-10 forward Cameron Bairstow, who suited up for the Chicago Bulls from 2014 to 2016; and South East Melbourne swingman Ryan Broekhoff, who had a stint with the Dallas Mavericks from 2018 to 2020.
Brazilian guard Scott Machado, who had stops with the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Lakers, has also been with Cairns since last season and serves as the Taipans team captain.
Star players from the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZ NBL) have also been signed by teams from its Australian counterpart, with Sydney inking a deal with Tom Vodanovich and Cairns taking in Hyrum Harris.
And in the current season, Japanese combo-guard Yudai Baba is seeing action for the Melbourne United as he's in the same boat with Sotto under the Special Restricted Players rule.
It's truly a loaded opposition, but all Sotto cares about is helping Adelaide compete once he arrives.
"Focus ko lang naman is to develop and to adjust para sa team ko. I told coach Conner [Henry] that I’m willing to adjust and work for my spot and for the team’s success," he said.
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Aussie, New Zealand national players who Kai Sotto will face in NBL - Sports Interactive Network Philippines
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