UP Maroons palalakasin ni Kobe Paras next year

MANILA, Philippines — Tiyak na mawawala na ang underdog tag sa University of the Philippines sa UAAP.

Muling madadagdagan ng bangis ang Fighting Maroons matapos pormal na inihayag ni Kobe Paras ang pag-entra nito sa kampo ng UP na tinukoy nitong isa sa pinakaprestihiyosong institusyon sa bansa.

“The University of the Philippines is the most res-pected educational institution in the country. The attraction of UP is not just its basketball program, which just gets better each year, but the world-class education it is known for,” pahayag ni Paras.

Inaasahang sesentro ang atensiyon ng lahat sa UP sa UAAP Season 82 – taon kung saan sabay-sabay na maglalaro sina Paras, Ricci Rivero, Juan Gomez de Lia-ño, Will Gozum at Nigerian transferee Bright Akhuetie.

Tatlong buwan ding pinag-isipan ni Paras ang offer ng UP bago maglabas ng kongkretong sagot at tiwala itong tama ang kaniyang naging desisyon. “I look forward to the challenge of helping make the Fighting Maroons a better basketball team, and the challenge of helping myself become a better student,” aniya pa.

Mainit namang tinanggap ni Fighting Maroons head coach Bo Perasol si Paras na isang malaking dagdag  puwersa sa tropa na nagnanais makabalik sa pedestal sa UAAP.

“With the addition of Bright [Akhuetie] and Ricci [Rivero], the team has gotten better. But we have to keep in mind that all the other schools have worked to get better in the off season, too,” pahayag ni Perasol.

Makulay ang basketball life ni Paras.

Naglaro ito para sa Cathedral High School, University of California Los Angeles Bruins at Creighton University Bluejays sa Amerika.

Makailang ulit na rin itong naging bahagi ng national team sa William Jones Cup, Southeast Asian Games at FIBA 3x3 tournaments.

Huling nagkampeon ang UP noong 1986 sa pa-ngunguna ng kaniyang ama na si Benjie.

Mula noon, hindi na nakatikim pa ang Fighting Maroons ng kampeonato.

Kaya’t hindi malayong isa na namang Paras ang makakatulong upang maibalik sa Katipunan ang korona ng UAAP.