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Welcome back: Kobe Paras set to return to Manila, play for young Gilas squad

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/sports/04/11/20170802-kobe-paras-md-2.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>Under coach Chot Reyes&#x27; tutelage, 20-year-old Kobe Pars could be a major contributor to the national team immediately. File/Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</figcaption></figure></div>Kobe Paras will return to Manila and join a young Gilas Pilipinas squad preparing for some big tournaments down the line, a corporate sponsor for the national men&#x27;s basketball team said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.&quot;Kobe needs to play, not just practice. The more actual games he gets, the better he&#x27;ll become. That&#x27;s why we&#x27;re including him in our Filoil and Jones Cup rosters,&quot; Gilas coach Chot Reyes said in a social-media post on the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas Facebook page.The 6-foot-6 wing is set to arrive this weekend and immediately practice with the team at Meralco Gym in Pasig.He will be part of the squad that will play in the Filoil Flying V Preseason Premier Cup and the Jones Cup, Reyes confirmed.Paras once played a full season in the NCAA Division 1 for Creighton University, before he transferred to California State University, Northridge (CSUN).He spent a year off based on league-residency rules for transferees, but eventually decided to leave CSUN having never played a minute of competitive basketball there.In between, he played for the Gilas squad that won gold in the Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, where the region saw Paras&#x27; full potential.Paras said he cherished that experience playing for his country.When Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, the sport&#x27;s national governing body, launched its &quot;23 for 23&quot; program that aims to groom young players for the 2023 FIBA World Cup that the Philippines will host, Paras&#x27; name was on top of the list.Under Reyes&#x27; tutelage, the 20-year-old could be a major contributor to the national team immediately.The decision to return to the country was consulted with Paras&#x27; father, Benjie.The Facebook post quoted Kobe Paras as saying: &quot;Sabi ni coach Chot and boss Ronald (Mascariñas) umuwi ako e, di uuwi ako. Anything for Gilas and Chooks-to-Go.&quot;Mascariñas is the president of Bounty Agro Ventures Inc., a chief corporate backer of the Gilas program.(For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/">ABS-CBN Sports website.</a>)

The 6-foot-6 wing is set to arrive this weekend and immediately practice with the team at Meralco Gym in Pasig.

The 6-foot-6 wing is set to arrive this weekend and immediately practice with the team at Meralco Gym in Pasig.