Five years ago, Kobe Paras became the Philippines’ rising star in the 3×3 stage, thanks to the spectacular dunks he displayed. Years after that, the second-generation star is now on the forefront of the country’s Olympic 3×3 hopes.
Paras, 20, has been named the cornerstone of the country’s 3×3 program, as Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas and major backer Chooks-to-Go unveiled their search for a full-time 3×3 national team across the islands.
And for the 6-foot-6 forward, he thinks he is the right person to be on the forefront of this huge campaign.
“I think I deserve this opportunity just because I was 15 when I represented the country with 3×3. So I have a good sense of the game,” Paras said modestly after the official announcement by Chooks and SBP, Tuesday afternoon at Crowne Plaza in Ortigas, Pasig City.
“And this is just like beach volleyball — when you play regular volleyball, it’s different than the beach. So parang ganito rin. Just because the court rin is different, the ball is different,” he added.
“So it’s better na as of now, I can educate the people who are willing to represent the country.”
It is not just the Olympics, though, that Chooks and SBP are targeting. For them, this 3×3 program is also an avenue for the Philippines to garner points — points are valuable assets for a federation in the 3×3 global ranking.
Photo from FIBA.com
And when they reach a particular amount of points — which can be done by being active with three-a-side activities — the country will surely climb up the rankings, and that climb uphill will determine the Philippines’ Olympic chances.
It is challenging, to say the least, as the country still has to earn millions of points to belong in the 3×3’s upper echelon. But for Paras, he’s just looking at the brighter side of things, such as the program being an opportunity to many.
“It’s not really a challenge. I see it as an opportunity,” he said. “You know, I think the country’s been struggling with finding the right players at the right time, because as you can see there are a lot of players that can’t join specific tournaments because of excuses.
“This is great not just for me but for other athletes because me, when I was young, I was given a lot of opportunities in the game of basketball. So this is a great thing that Chooks-to-Go is doing because it gives opportunities for a lot of Filipinos.”
