OMG Kai Sotto

Photo Credit: Joji Lapuz, Fabilioh 

Dragon Ball Z was my favorite anime/cartoon during my childhood. How Goku could muster that much energy to save the world was awe-inspiring. But the moment in the anime which I could say is my favorite was during the Cell Saga, where Gohan made himself known. 

As a kid, that moment truly resonated with me. I wanted to make myself known already, but elders would stop me because I was too young. But I knew I had the potential to do great things. For the case of Gohan, with no one else among the Saiyans giving much a fight against Cell (and well, Cell killing Android 16), he decided to unleash the beast within.

Kai Sotto was more gentle giant than beast when he entered the UAAP. He was relegated as a benchwarmer, only coming in during spurts to grab a couple of rebounds and to block a shot or two. It was only during the second round where Kai was used consistently, mostly as a rebounder and as a shot blocker.

Against the FEU Baby Tamaraws in their do or die game, the aura around Kai felt different. It wasn't just because of the crowd. It was how confidently he walked, and how he brought himself to the public eye. Heck, for his first block of the game, he brought out the Mutombo finger wag. 

Kai Sotto normally didn't not have swag. It looked like we were about to be witness to something special.

For the first three quarters, Kai was just rebounding, protecting the rim and doing a great job at it. The impact which he made was other-worldly, but he wasn't dominating. He scored a couple of baskets here and there, but he wasn't doing so in a dominant manner.

Come the fourth quarter, a monster was unleashed. 

Kai didn't receive as much touches, but every time he got the ball, he would go hard to the basket and try to score. This was during the fourth quarter, where defenses are tighter and the pressure is on. Kai, a monster 14 year old kid was just taking it in stride. He'd go hard, draw the foul or even score at times. The bouncer beside passionately told me, "Dapat bigay nila kay Kai, o! Sure ball sa loob!"

I had reservations with this statement. A part of me knew that Kai was far too young to be force fed the ball. But with every lingering minute which I had, Kai would grab the ball and dominate.

Kai wasn't just any normal 14 year old. Kai is a 14 year old monster, blessed with monster physical tools, enormous talent and a wide Basketball IQ. The potential was always there. But against FEU, we saw flashes of that potential he's long been said to have. The elite shotblocking ability. The great footwork for his age. The soft touch for a player his size. The beautiful stroke. 

The scary part? He wasn't even fully unleashed just yet.

Despite that, the only words I could mutter by the end of every Kai Sotto basket was OH. MY. GOD.

After the game, I asked FEU Coach Allan Albano regarding Kai. All he could say was, "Buti na lang ngayon kami nanalo kalaban yung Ateneo. Baka next time di na kami makadale, si Kai eh."

You can't blame him for thinking of such. Kai Sotto is just getting started. For now, all I can say is OH. MY. GOD. He's just getting started. He still has 4 years of eligibility remaining in HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL.

OH. MY. GOD.