FILE – UE’s Kyle Paranada. – FILOIL PHOTO
University of the East Red Warriors may have a new found brand of defense, but they also have a formidable shooter to hold down the offensive end.
Kyle Paranada, brother of Nikko from the same team, is embracing the hardships of gelling with the team and he has his brother to thank for it.
“It’s good to have him [Nikko] by my side because, as we know, I’m not from here, I’m from the States. He’s been here since he was 18 so he showed me the way,” Kyle said.
“To have him by my side, he showed me the way to survive and adapt here cause it’s very different here, but now I’m very adapted,” he added.
It seems as though Kyle was not just referring to adjusting to living in the country, but also adapting to the type of offense the Red Warriors have.
On days when Nikko is silent on offense, Kyle is expected to take the responsibility of delivering in scoring which was what exactly in UE’s latest win in the Filoil EcOoil Preseason Cup.
Against Adamson, the chippy guard registered 14 points on 50 perfect shooting (6-for-12). He also sank two triples.
Nikko, meanwnhile, contributed a silent 10 points on a cold 23.1 percent shooting (3-for-13).
Kyle played off the bench but made the most of his minutes, which head coach Jack Santiago acknowledged.
“My bench players stepped up including Kyle, so the results are better than the last game,” Santiago said.
The Red Warriors, who just last week ended a 17-game losing streak, improved to 3-4 in Group A.