Kobe reinforces Gilas 5 in preseason cup

Kobe Paras is set to play his first meaningful minutes in almost a year when he joins the Gilas Pilipinas cadet squad seeing action in the 2018 Filoil Flying V Preseason Cup which kicks off April 21.

Team manager Butch Antonio bared that the popular off-guard will be arriving next week and will join fellow “23-for-2023” members in its early buildup for the 2023 Fiba Basketball World Cup.

“Kobe will be basing himself in the Philippines in the meantime, and I’m very thankful and glad that Kobe is very committed to the Gilas program,” Antonio said.

Paras had an uneventful collegiate stint in the United States, first abandoning his commitment with UCLA and transferring to Creighton, before spending the past year at Cal State Northridge.

He didn’t last long though, leaving the Matadors before he could even finish his red shirt (freshman) season and deciding to turn pro in the Philippines.

The 20-year-old was a key element for the Gilas program last August, where he was a part of the gold medal-winning squad in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia.

“He should look forward to coming home,” Gilas coach Chot Reyes said. “If he’s not here, the program is still going to continue.”