LA says Kai’s time is now

MANILA, Philippines —   LA Tenorio is now in Regina, Canada, on the Gilas Legends Tour but continues to monitor how coach Tim Cone’s troops are doing in preparing for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Latvia.

“I’m impressed,” said Tenorio in an overseas call. “They’re shorthanded with limited preparation but they’re competing. We could’ve beaten Poland. I think we could use more legitimate shooters. We’ve got Justin (Brownlee), Dwight (Ramos), Calvin (Oftana) and Carl (Tamayo) who can shoot the three but we need more shooters in the mold of Marcio (Lassiter) and Jeff (Chan).” Cone attempted to enlist hitmen Jordan Heading and RR Pogoy for the OQT but couldn’t bring them in. Heading confirmed he had a chat with Cone to come over from Australia but had a family obligation to attend to while Pogoy couldn’t get his Schengen visa on time.

Tenorio said Kai Sotto has improved his skills but should be more assertive. “This is Kai’s time,” he said. “He’s 22. If he plays as assertive and aggressive as June Mar (Fajardo), Kai’s in the NBA for sure. He has to establish his identity, to prove himself. Scouts are watching from Europe and the NBA.”

What caught Tenorio’s eye in the Poland friendly was Gilas’ passing. “We had 20 assists in a 40-minute game, that’s amazing,” he said. “We committed 23 turnovers but that’s part of what we give up in our system. When you run the triangle with three bigs, the spacing is tight and you’re bound to make errors. We make up for it in other ways.”

Tenorio disclosed that he was invited by Cone to re-join Gilas for the OQT. “Coach Tim and I never talked about Gilas during the PBA because we were focused,” he said. “Then after the semis, he asked if I could be the 12th man to replace Scottie (Thompson). He also asked if I could join the coaching staff. But at that point, I had already committed to the Canada organizers for the Gilas Legends Tour and couldn’t back out. Anyway, Sean (Chambers) came on board and it’s a long-term Gilas program so I hope to be able to join the staff again.”