Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas  (SBP) has announced on Tuesday that the country canceled the hosting of the final window as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country is still rampant and consequently upheld travel bans. 

“At this point, we continue practicing. The February window can still happen. We’re waiting for FIBA, in the next few days or next week, to give us an indication of what’s going to happen,” stated SBP President Al Panlilio.

“We are hopeful that we can find a solution. FIBA is doing its best to look for another location where we could play the games. FIBA and the entire international basketball community as a whole have been heavily impacted by the effects of the pandemic, but we’re all working to find ways to push through with the games,” he continued. 

Meanwhile, the team is still carrying on with their composition for the much anticipated final window of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers. 

“This is really a long-term program. We’re building towards the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2023,” Panlilio shared. 

“This is part of the journey that we have embarked on where we wanted to develop younger players together with veterans from the PBA, to create a core team that can be competitive in 2023. This is not just practicing for the window, but we’re looking at building for 2023,” he added. 

Conversely for Kai Sotto, plans of the prodigy to calibrate the pool still continue. 

Sotto is still expected to join the Gilas training as preparation for the games against Korea and Indonesia and will immediately fly back to US to rejoin Ignite in the NBA G League bubble in Orlando.

“Kai is committed to joining the bubble regardless of whether we play here or elsewhere. He has said that he wanted to be here and we’re in talks with him to try and bring him here as soon as possible,” Panlilio averred.

“It’s good for him to come in and also learn the system that we’re trying to implement in the national team to work with his teammates and have a feel of what the system will be. This will help him and help us, looking at 2023, how we can work towards forming a core team that will be competitive in the World Cup,” he added.