Just like what Jeron Teng did during the build-up to the 2017 Jones Cup, 21-year-old Andre Paras is doing his part to help out Gilas Pilipinas, helping training the team that is set to compete in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games.
“Well, he just came in and said that he wanted to practice, get a workout,” Gilas head coach Chot Reyes said as the second-generation cager joined practice for the second straight day Wednesday night.
“We need some bodies as well kasi kulang kami.”
Reyes disclosed that he has been watching the 6-foot-4 undersized big man during his campaign with the AMA Online Education Titans in the PBA D-League. The five-time Coach of the Year admitted that he is impressed with Paras’ knack for rebounding the ball, but still sees a lot of flaws in his offense.
“I think he’s a player,” remarked Reyes about Paras, who averaged 8.63 points and 13.88 rebounds during his maiden D-League campaign. “I’ve been watching his games over at the D-League.
“He has been rebounding well but he was to work on the other parts of his game, most especially sa kanyang outside shooting since he is an undersized big. But I think being in a situation like this, it can only help him.”
Like he always does with every aspiring national team player out there, Reyes hopes that Paras can “evolve” his skill set so that he can be part of the program in the future.
“Lahat naman ng players may chance e. It just depends on how they evolve.”
