EVER since he announced that he is turning pro instead of playing college ball in the United States, many have wondered what the next move of young sensation Kobe Paras.
The athletic 6-foot-6 swingman arrived back home in the country yesterday and immediately attended a press conference backed by Gilas Pilipinas backer Chooks To Go in Crowne Plaza, Ortigas.
There, he gave an explanation as to why he suddenly decided to go back home and leave Cal State Northridge to pursue his basketball career elsewhere.
“I decided to go pro because my Coach Reggie (Theus) at Cal State got fired. It was shocking and I was ready to play there,” shared Paras. “Since that happened, I had to make a decision myself. I’m glad I’m here now.”
Now that he’s pro bound in the near future, does that mean he is setting his sights on the Philippine Basketball Association?
According to the son of PBA legend Benjie Paras, that’s just one of many possibilities.
“The PBA is a professional league, that’s all I’m going to say,” said Paras, expressing a certain possibility of a jump to the PBA. “When I said I’m going pro, there are a lot of leagues out there to take a look at.”
Despite this development, Paras remained glad that he got the chance to learn and evolve as a player while in the US.
“It was an eye-opening experience for me. The US has all the tools to create a good player. When I was there, I got trained like I never got trained before. It made me mature a lot as a player.”
For now, Paras’ immediate focus is on the Fil-Oil Premier Cup, wherein he will be a part of a Gilas Cadet team.