AJ Edu relishes Gilas reunion with Kai Sotto in seniors team

Playing together is nothing new for AJ Edu and Kai Sotto as the two rising cagers suited up for the Gilas Pilipinas youth team during the 2018 FIBA Under-18 Asian Championship, where the Philippines finished fourth to qualify to the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Championship.

Unfortunately for the duo, Edu was not able to finish the tourney due to an injury.

But four years later, the two met again as they now banner the seniors team in the ongoing 2023 FIBA World Cup here in Manila.

And Edu could not help but relish the opportunity to play alongside his good pal once again.

"I love playing with Kai. He's a player that makes everyone better," Edu said on Tuesday.

"I love playing with him since junior level and I enjoy the fact that we're still playing at the highest level."

The 23-year-old Edu had been working his way for the past years, recovering from the knee injury he sustained while also finishing his studies at the University of Toledo with an accounting degree.

As he makes his seniors debut, the 6-foot-10 has been nothing short of revelation in the World Cup, averaging eight points, 6.3 rebounds, 0.7 assists, and 1.3 blocks in three games played in the group stage.

He was also pitted against some of the best big men in the group like Karl-Anthony Towns of Dominican Republic and Bruno Fernando of Angola.

Read more | Karl-Anthony Towns on 'ultra competitor' AJ Edu of Gilas: 'He makes me better'

Sotto, meanwhile, is averaging 3.3 markers, 3 boards, 0.3 dimes, and 0.3 blocks, including a solid eight-point, six-rebound performance against Angola.

Edu and Sotto, though, won't be advancing to the next round after Gilas fell to powerhouse Italy to formally bow out of contention and finish with a winless 0-3 slate in Group A. 

But their campaign is not over as they will still head into the classification round, which might still determine the Best Asian team that will earn the allotted slot in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"Tough loss but I'm really proud of the game. I think we really showed a lot of heart over this group phase and things didn't go our way but we gotta keep our heads up," Edu added.

"We have two games left for the classification for the Olympics and a spot is still up for grabs so we gotta keep fighting."

—JMB, GMA Integrated News