Kobe Paras to play for UP next year
KOBE PARAS has committed to play for the University of the Philippines (UP) men’s basketball team.
“I look forward to the challenge of helping make UP a better basketball team as well as the challenge of helping myself become a better student,” said Paras through the team’s statement released to the media on Wednesday.
The 20-year old cager will go through the mandatory one-year residency, as he is a transferee from Creighton University in the United States. He will be eligible to wear the Fighting Maroons jersey in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 next year.
Paras will join the already fortified Maroons that already boast of the presence of fellow Gilas Pilipinas Cadets Ricci Rivero, Juan Gomez De Liaño and Will Gozum together with Nigerian center Bright Akhuetie, Jun Manzo and Juan’s brother Javi.
The high- flying forward, who played for La Salle Greenhills during his high school days in the Philippines before moving abroad, said he was motivated by the opportunity to obtain quality education from UP.
“The University of the Philippines is the most respected educational institution in the country. The attraction of UP is not just its basketball program, which just gets better each year, but the world- class education it is known for,” said Paras, who bared that he has been contemplating on UP’s offer for the past three months.
Paras has followed the footsteps of his father Benjie, who led the State U to its last championship in 1986, and brother Andrei, who played for one season with the Maroons.
Despite the addition of Rivero and Paras, UP head coach Bo Perasol is still tempering expectations.
“We are fortunate to have a talent like Kobe on board. Winning, as experience has shown us, takes more than talent. We have to get everyone on the same page and to play the right way, and that is what we will be working on in the months to come,” said Perasol.
Paras first suited up for the men’s national basketball team in the 2017 William Jones Cup. He was also instrumental in the Philippines’ gold medal finish in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games. Paras has also represented the Philippines in FIBA 3x3 tournaments.