Kobe Paras during a Fiba Asia Cup qualifying game. FIBA PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Kobe Paras won’t be joining Gilas Pilipinas in the February window of the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers, team head coach Jong Uichico bared Thursday.
Uichico said the 6-foot-6 forward informed the team that he would not join them in Clark, Pampanga for the competition due to “personal reasons.”
“Kobe begged off, for personal reasons,” said Uichico.
Paras was able to play for Gilas in the November window in Manama, Bahrain where he averaged 3.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in the Philippines’ two wins against Thailand.
Though Paras won’t be joining the team, some pro players are in the fold including PBA 2019 Scoring Champion CJ Perez and 2020 Most Improved Player candidate Justin Chua who arrived the past week.
Those already inside the training bubble at Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba are Kiefer Ravena, Isaac Go, Rey Suerte, brothers Mike and Matt Nieto, Justine Baltazar, Javi Gomez de Liaño, Dave Ildefonso, Will Navarro, Calvin Oftana, Kemark Cariño, and Ange Kouame.
The Philippines are atop Group A with a 3-0 record. South Korea is at no.2 with a 2-0 record while Indonesia (1-2) and Thailand (0-40) round out the pool.