AJ Edu is ready to step up for Gilas Pilipinas in Kai Sotto’s absence

The Philippines men’s national basketball team is set to be in action soon as they prepare for the upcoming 2025 FIBA Asia Cup, scheduled to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, next month.

Gilas Pilipinas are currently deep in training for the continental competition, but they will enter it without one of their top stars, Kai Sotto, who is sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in his left knee.

In Sotto’s absence, big man responsibilities will fall on eight-time Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Most Valuable Player (MVP) June Mar Fajardo and young star AJ Edu. However, there are concerns regarding Fajardo’s fitness, as he continues to play through pain in the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup Finals against the TNT Tropang Giga after sustaining a calf injury.

AJ Edu, meanwhile, is coming off a season with the Toyama Grouses in Japan’s B. League. In a media interaction, he expressed his eagerness to step up for the national team amid injury and availability issues.

“With Kai Sotto out, that’s a tough loss for us. We’re hoping he can come back soon—we’re constantly in communication with him about his recovery,” Edu said. “Not just me, but all of us as a team have to step up when our star players are out. But yeah, for sure, on my end, I have to step up as well.”

#WATCH: With Kai Sotto sidelined, AJ Edu says he’s ready to step up and take on more responsibility for Gilas Pilipinas 🇵🇭

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The 25-year-old only arrived in the Philippines last week and has begun training with the Gilas squad ahead of their departure for Jeddah.

“Yeah, I just came back. I haven’t been able to practice yet, but I’ll start training tomorrow,” he added. “Honestly, for us playing in the B. League, we’ve been in the offseason for a couple of months, so I’m just trying to get back to 100 percent game shape and prepare for this upcoming tournament.”

Head coach Tim Cone’s squad is scheduled to play the Macau Bears in a tune-up game on July 28 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum as part of their FIBA Asia Cup preparations. Notably, this is not the first time Gilas has played a tune-up game before an international competition. Last year, they also faced the Taiwan Mustangs ahead of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga, Latvia.

Gilas has been drawn into Group D of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup alongside Iraq, New Zealand, and Chinese Taipei. They will open their campaign against Chinese Taipei on August 6 and are expected to depart for Jeddah at the end of July or early August.

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