Kai Sotto in a Gilas Pilipinas jersey. FIBA PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Kai Sotto has come a long way since moving to the US to improve his game.
Sotto, the Filipino teen sensation, has been making his case as one of the best high school big men in the class of 2020 and the US basketball scene has taken notice.
The 17-year-old Sotto, who is aiming to become the first homegrown Filipino to make the NBA, has jumped from 76th to 68th in ESPN’s list of the Top 100 high school players in the 2020 class.
Sotto, the lanky 7-foot-2 big man, is placed 11th among centers.
Fil-American Jalen Green is ranked No. 1 on the list.
Just recently, Sotto, a four-star recruit, showed just how far he’s gone since going overseas nearly a year ago after leading The Skill Factory to the championship in the King Invitational tournament in Atlanta where he was also named MVP.
Sotto, who remains undeclared as to which school he’ll play for in college, has drawn interest from some of the top universities in the US at University of Kentucky, Auburn University and University of South Carolina among others.
Last month, Sotto, along with his dad and former pro Ervin, made an unofficial visit to University of Kentucky in Lexington where he met the Wildcats head coach John Calipari.
Under Calipari, the Wildcats have produced a number of one-and-done NBA stars like Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns and John Wall to name a few.