KAI SOTTO — ADELAIDE 36ERS FB PAGE

KAI SOTTO and the Adelaide 36ers plunge back to action in the National Basketball League (NBL) today with a home match against the Perth Wildcats at the Adelaide Entertainment Center.

Action erupts at 4:30 p.m. (Manila time) with the 36ers eyeing a triumphant return against the pacesetting Wildcats after being shelved by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) health and safety protocols the past two weeks.

Adelaide had five postponed matches against Perth (Dec. 28 and Jan. 7), South East Melbourne (Jan. 2), Illawarra (Jan. 9) and Tasmania (Jan. 16) after a team member tested positive for COVID-19 before the New Year.

Overall though, the 36ers have not seen action for exactly a month after bowing to the Cairns Taipans last Dec. 18, 93-67.

That match served as Sotto’s NBL debut after missing Adelaide’s first four matches due a knee soreness.

With an extended break to recover, the 7-foot-3 Filipino teen sensation is expected to be in tip-top shape to contribute in the 36ers’ upset bid.

At 2-3, Adelaide looms as a heavy underdog opposite the league-leading Perth led by reigning MVP Bryce Cotton. — John Bryan Ulanday