Sotto's big chance to shine bright

Adelaide 36ers big man Kai Sotto will be looking to make his mark for the Philippines in the FIBA World Cup qualifying window this week.

Even though they have already qualified for next year's tournament as the host nation, Gilas will be looking to show the world they belong on basketball's biggest stage.

Sotto said its always an honour and prvilege to put on the national jersey.

"I love representing my country at every opportunity, we have a great team," Sotto said.

The 216cm centre, who has been averaging 4.57 points and 4.29 rebounds per night so far in the NBL23 season, is back for a second consecutive World Cup Qualifiers window after averaging 13.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game in July.

Sotto was great to watch as he connected with his teammates, most notably Utah Jazz point guard Jordan Clarkson, multiple times for highlight plays and is expected to have an elevated role with Gilas for their away games against Jordan and Saudi Arabia.