Paras ready to move forward

MANILA, Philippines -  Kobe Paras said the other day he’s excited to play for coach Reggie Theus with the California State University at Northridge varsity but it will take a sit-out year to establish residence before being eligible to suit up for the Matadors.

Paras, 19, arrived in Manila for a two-week visit last May 12. He made his US NCAA Division I debut with Creighton University last season, collecting 20 points, 15 rebounds and three assists in 15 of the team’s 35 games while averaging 4.7 minutes. His single-game highs included six points, four rebounds and 17 minutes.

Paras faced adverse conditions at Creighton and announced his transfer to Northridge at the end of the campaign. “I made the most of my stay at Creighton and I’m grateful for the opportunity,” he said. “When I left UCLA, I had only a week or two to decide where to go and Creighton’s doors were open.” Paras never cracked coach Greg McDermott’s regular rotation and languished on the bench in 20 of the Bluejays’ 35 outings.

Moving to Northridge starts a new chapter in Paras’ basketball journey. “Coach Reggie’s been in touch with me since UCLA and reached out to me after the season,” he said. Theus, 59, is a 13-year NBA veteran who played for six teams up to 1990-91. He coached the Sacramento Kings in the NBA and has been at the helm of the Northridge program the last four seasons, compiling a combined record of 47-81.

Two of Northridge’s basketball legends are NBA veteran Paul McCracken and former Japanese national team star Michael Dorsey, known in FIBA Asia as Maikeru Takahashi. McCracken, a Northridge Sports Hall of Famer, played for Houston and Chicago in three NBA seasons up to 1976-77. He averaged 31.6 points for Wilkes-Barre as the Continental league MVP in 1977-78.

Paras’ father Benjie, a two-time PBA MVP, said during his residence year, his son will accumulate as many units in school to lessen his academic load when he starts playing. He will accompany his son back to Los Angeles on May 25. Then, Paras will fly to Nantes, France, to play for the Philippines at the FIBA 3x3 World Cup on June 17-21. Paras, Kiefer Ravena, Jeron Teng and Raymar Jose were on the Philippine lineup submitted by the SBP to FIBA for the 3x3 World Cup last Tuesday.   

Jose, however, may not be able to make the trip to France because of commitments with his PBA D-League team. It’s still not certain who will take Jose’s spot in case he backs out. Paras suggested Bobby Ray Parks but 3x3 coach Eric Altamirano said the team will need a big man to compete against taller and bulkier teams for rebounds.

The Philippines is bracketed with Romania, Slovenia, El Salvador and host France in Group B in the first round of the FIBA 3x3 World Cup. “The opposition will be big,” said Altamirano. “Jeron gained experience playing against big guys in the 3x3 event of the 2010 Youth Olympics so he’s used to it. Kiefer is 100 percent committed to play. Kiefer and Jeron have played 3x3 together before. Since Kobe is leaving on Thursday, we’ll try to squeeze in three or four practices before he goes.”

Altamirano will coach Filoil Flying V in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup starting Thursday. He said Flying V is not scheduled to play the week of the France tournament. One of Altamirano’s Flying V players is Teng. “We expect the team to arrive in France about two days before the competition,” said Altamirano. “We play two games on June 18 and two more on June 20. If we finish top two, we advance to play in the knockout quarterfinals. We’re thankful to the PBA for adjusting our D-League schedule.”

      Next year, Manila will host the FIBA 3x3 World Cup with 20 men’s and 20 women’s teams. Three individual competitions will also be held – the men’s dunk contest to include pros, women’s skill contest and a mixed shoot-out contest. SBP executive director Sonny Barrios said it’s an honor for the Philippines to host the event.

“Our two previous experiences hosting FIBA 3x3 events have been a success and 3x3 has become a centerpiece of our development program,” said Barrios. Manila hosted a 3x3 Masters leg in 2014 with Manila West qualifying to advance to the World Tour Finals in Tokyo. Manila West was composed of Terrence Romeo, Aldrech Ramos, K. G. Canaleta and Rey Guevarra and finished fifth of 12 in Tokyo. Manila hosted another Masters leg in 2015 with Manila North moving on to the Finals in Abu Dhabi. Manila North ended up sixth of 12 with Calvin Abueva, Vic Manuel, Troy Rosario and Karl Dehesa.

Barrios said Manila was lined up to host the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Finals next year but SBP chairman emeritus and FIBA Central Board member Manny V. Pangilinan opted to stage the World Cup instead. “This is like staging the FIBA World Cup,” said Barrios. FIBA 3x3 managing director Alex Sanchez said, “We are delighted to bring the FIBA 3x3 World Cup to the Philippines. We are positive that the SBP and the passionate Filipino fans will make it an unbelievable experience for the best 3x3 players in the world and everyone watching on all platforms.”