Things just got a lot more exciting for the UP Fighting Maroons.
Gilas Cadet Kobe Paras announced on Tuesday that he will be joining the Fighting Maroons in the UAAP.
"The University of the Philippines is the most respected 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," Paras said in a statement.
BREAKING: Kobe Paras joins UP ❤️💚 The Paras legacy lives on. #UPFight #nowheretogobutUP pic.twitter.com/zGPabdwAW7
— UP Fighting Maroons (@upmbt) July 11, 2018
It has been a bumpy college career for Paras. He first committed to the UCLA Bruins in 2015. A year later, he entered Creighton University where he played sparingly in 15 games for the Bluejays. In 2017, Paras was set to join Cal State Northridge and undergo a redshirt year to abide by NCAA transfer rules. But after the departure of head coach Reggie Theus, Paras announced this past March that was he was turning pro.
After spending the last couple of months as part of the Gilas program, Paras is taking his talents to UP.
"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," the 20-year-old athletic forward said.
The addition of Paras is a welcome sight for UP with the recent acquisition of Ricci Rivero this past summer. Both Paras and Rivero will be eligible for Season 82 of the UAAP.
The Fighting Maroons last won a championship in the UAAP men's basketball tournament in 1986, when they were led by Kobe's father, Benjie Paras.