MANILA, Philippines — Even with just one good eye, Kobe Paras clearly showed why he has a bright future ahead of him.
Paras bucked a swollen right eye he sustained in the second quarter to lead the LA Cathedral Phantoms over the Gahr Gladiators, 84-72, on Sunday (Manila time) in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF).
The 6-foot-6 junior scored 27 points and had 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
In a report from abs-cbnnews.com, the bloodied Paras said that he felt like Manny Pacquiao after getting hit.
“I guess now I feel like (Manny) Pacquiao feels when he gets punched,” said Paras. “I was just shocked with the physicality that they did, but it’s adversity. Just like what our coach tells us, we need to handle adversity, like we did today.”
The 17-year-old Paras has already committed to UCLA in college. He is ranked 44th in his position by ESPN in class of 2016.
RELATED STORIES
Kobe Paras, LA Cathedral crash out of California playoff
Kobe Paras’ Cathedral wins cage title as he makes it into All-Tournament team
High-flying Kobe Paras commits to UCLA