MANILA, Philippines -- Kai Sotto may have missed out on the most recent window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 qualifiers, but one of his teammates in Team Ignite got to participate.

Princepal Singh was part of India's roster for the November 2020 window, where they played Lebanon and Bahrain. The 19-year-old Singh had eight points and eight rebounds in a 115-60 defeat to Lebanon, and six points and six boards in an 88-72 setback to Bahrain.

Both Sotto and Singh will play for Team Ignite in the G League, where they will team up with other top prospects including Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga.

According to the 18-year-old Sotto, he and Singh have had conversations about representing their respective countries in FIBA competitions.

"I always tell him, 'Hey Prince, do your best and represent your country, because that's like, a lot of people's dreams,'" Sotto revealed during a recent conference call.

"I actually told him that I'm jealous because I haven't played in the men's national team yet," he added.

Sotto was a mainstay of the Philippines' youth teams and played for Gilas Pilipinas Youth in the FIBA Under-19 World Cup last year in Greece. However, he has yet to suit up for the senior squad, although the stakeholders of Philippine basketball have made it clear that he will be a big part of the national team's future.

Sotto has said that he hopes to play for Gilas Pilipinas in the next window of the Asia Cup qualifiers, set for February 2021 in the Philippines.

"Me and Prince… I always tell (him), they better get ready because I'm really looking forward to playing against them in the future in the men's national team, especially Prince," said Sotto.

"So, as I said, I"m looking forward to the next window. I really hope that it'll be a better schedule so I'll be available," he added. "I'm really looking forward to it, I'm really excited."

The Philippines won both of their games in the November 2020 qualifiers, with a team of players with no professional experience routing Thailand in two games.

Their schedule in the February 2021 window is more challenging, as Gilas is set to play rivals South Korea twice as well as Indonesia.

It remains to be seen if Sotto will get his wish of facing off against Singh in international competition. India currently sits in third place in Group D, behind Lebanon and Bahrain. The top two teams in each group qualify to the FIBA Asia Cup, while the third-placed teams face off in a final qualifying tournament, with the top four advancing.

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