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MANILA, Philippines – UCLA-bound Kobe Paras will lead the team that will represent the Philippines in the 2015 FIBA Under-18 3X3 World Championship in Debrecen, Hungary, that begins on Wednesday, June 3.
Paras will be joined by incoming Ateneo Blue Eagle Mike Nieto, La Salle Greenhills high school star Ricci Rivero, and Richard Escoto of Far Eastern University. The team will be coached by La Salle Greenies mentor John Flores and Kobe’s father, Benjie Paras, a former 2-time PBA MVP.
Philippines will be together with host country Hungary, Kazakhstan, Russia, Poland, and Uruguay in Pool A while Andorra, Egypt, Germany, Guatemala, Lithuania, and Romania make up Pool B.
Pool C includes Brazil, Estonia, New Zealand, France, Vietnam, and Turkey, while Group D has Argentina, Georgia, Indonesia, Puerto Rico, Spain, and the United States.
(WATCH: Kobe Paras puts on dunking exhibition)
Besides the actual 3-on-3 games, the tournament will also include a women’s skills tilt, a shootout contest, and a slam dunk contest – something Paras specializes on, having won the slam dunk competition of the FIBA Under-18 World Championship in 2013 by completing a dunk after jumping over a motorcycle and converting a between-the-legs slam.
The Philippines opens their campaign against Poland, followed by contests versus Hungary, Kazakhstan, Russia, and then Uruguay.
The 2015 FIBA Under-18 World Championship will be the third consecutive time the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) – whose chairman is Gilas-Pilipinas patron Manny V. Pangilinan – sends a Philippine team to the tournament.
In a press release released by the SBP on Tuesday, it was stated that the Philippines will host the World Tour Finals in 2017, per Executive Director Sonny Barrios.
– Rappler.com
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