Gilas Youth in the Post-Kai Sotto Era: The Next Players to Carry the Flag

Kai Sotto is set to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA) G-League next year. His Gilas Youth teammates AJ Edu, Carl Tamayo, Geo Chiu, and Raven Cortez are already past their age group which leaves Gilas Youth Head Coach Sandy Arespacochaga scratching his head and probably asking the question: How do we rebuild a Gilas Youth team that has achieved success with Kai Sotto and AJ Edu causing problems to their opponents?  

The answer is: you look for new talented Filipino players who can raise the level of competition for the national youth team: a task that even Arepacochaga admitted that he finds himself with a lower ceiling. After all, it's not every generation that you can have a seven-footer such as Sotto who can do almost everything for the team. The good news is: the remaining key members are also highly-touted players who can play ball at a high level. 

First up is Kenji Duremdes- son of Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) great and Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Commissioner Kenneth Duremdes. The younger Duremdes who played for La Salle Greenhills before making the jump to the Nazareth School of National University in 2017, is just one of the promising core players who is expected to step up. 

Joining Duremdes as the second-generation player to suit up for Gilas Youth is Echo Laure- son of PBA veteran, Eddie Laure. But these two sons of PBA players aren't the only ones we should watch out for as the Youth team has several familiar names with some even achieved success in their high school careers.

When you hear the name Gomez de Liano, many people would remember Juan and Javi Gomez de Liano who helped the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons return to the Final Four of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) in the past two years highlighted by a runner-up finish in Season 81. UP fans may have been familiar but for the rest of the Philippine basketball, Jordi Gomez de Liano is expected to carry the same intensity and prowess as that of his two older brothers. 

And there's more.

Also included in the under-16 pool of Gilas Pilipinas Youth are Ateneo's Ian Espinosa, LeBron Lopez, Mason Amos, and Justin Diaz, Kim Tamayo, Reinhard Jumanoy, and PJ Palacielo of NU, La Salle Greenhills' Seven Gagate, Ethan Alian, Manuel Pablo, Jan Malacanang, and Jesseray Arciaga. The San Beda high school basketball program is also represented by Nicael Cabanero and Prince Alao while Letran's JR Gueverra is also included. Far Eastern University's Luis Buenaventura and Kenshin Padrones are among the holdovers along with Keith Wongchuking of Xavier School. Jordi Gomez de Liano is also joined in by UP teammate, Sean Torculas. 

And while Arespacochafga noted that Sotto and Cortez are still part of the under-18 team, he also expressed the need to look out for taller players if the program wants to continue competing on a high level internationally. 

In the end, Gilas Pilipinas Youth still has a loaded team even though it no longer possesses the same height advantage as that of the previous team but talent-wise, they are ready to carry the flag as they already did in the past two International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Under-16 and Under-17 World Cups. 

Photo is from ABS CBN Sports