Kobe Paras dazzled in his debut for Niigata. However, the 24-year-old was hard on himself after the game.
This as his 25-point outing went for naught as Albirex still lost to the Kyoto Hannaryz, 81-85, Saturday at the City Hall Plaza Aore.
“Personally, I don’t think I did well.”
The 6-foot-6 winger started the game like a house on fire, scoring 11 of Albirex’s first 15 points.
Paras did not stop there as in the second quarter, he drilled nine more points to up his totals to 20 by the half.
(C) B.League
But in the second half, he was limited to just five points – none scored in the final frame.
“I couldn’t hit my shot in the second half,” recalled Paras, who also had four assists and two steals to his name. “[If that happens], I need to play for the team a little more.
“I need to improve on my passing, have better judgment, and be better on the defensive end.”
With Paras cooling down, Hannaryz went on a surge in the third canto to turn the game into a contest.
Paras though still gave Niigata a chance to steal the game. With 15 ticks left and Kyoto up 84-81, Paras was able to pickpocket Justin Harper. Yuto Nomi though could not knock down a wide-open triple.
Still, it’s just the first game of a long season that will be played until May. And for Paras, he looks to further integrate himself to Coach Fujitaka Hiraoka’s system.
“It’s still the first game, so I want to learn a lot here.
“I want to be a team player and will always be ready to work hard for the team,” he vowed.
And on Sunday, Paras and Albirex will have a chance to exact vengeance on Kyoto at 2:05 PM.
