CSUN Men’s Basketball Signs Guard Kobe Paras
5/28/2017 11:30:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MEDIA AVAILABILITY LIVE STREAM
Filipino sensation transferring to CSUN, will play starting in 2018-19 season;
Paras will be available to the media on CSUN's campus on May 31 at 2:30 p.m., with details listed at the end of this announcement
Northridge, CA - CSUN Men's Basketball has signed Creighton transfer Kobe Paras, head coach Reggie Theus announced. A 6-foot-6 guard from Manila, Philippines, Paras completed his freshman season with the Bluejays in 2016-17. Paras will be eligible to play for the Matadors starting with the 2018-19 season after sitting out a season due to NCAA transfer rules.
"I'm thrilled to be able to coach Kobe Paras and have him be a part of the Matador family," said Theus. "He's a super athlete with a great motor and high character that has the ability to score in several different ways. I think he has the potential to be one of the best student-athletes in the Big West Conference and I'm expecting big things out of him on the floor. I'm excited to coach Kobe and mentor him both on and off the court."
"I am so excited to be a part of the CSUN family," said Paras. "This is going to be a great move for me and I am really happy to be a part of a great basketball program. Thank you CSUN for making me feel like family from the very beginning. Go Matadors!"
In 15 games with Creighton last season, Paras totaled 20 points and 15 rebounds in 70 total minutes on the floor. Paras scored a season-high six points in 12 minutes of action against Longwood on Dec. 9. He also appeared in Creighton's NCAA opening round contest against Rhode Island where he scored three points and collected a rebound in two minutes.
As his second home, Southern California housed Paras through his high school career. He prepped at Cathedral High School in Los Angeles, CA before playing his senior year at Middlebrooks Academy. In high school, he was an honor roll student, a member of the National Honor Society, a Star Scholar Honoree and a summa cum laude graduate.
At Cathedral, he averaged 15.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 steals as a junior and was an All-State nominee, First Team All-Del Rey League and ranked the 24th-best player in California by CalHiSports. He helped lead Cathedral to the Regional Championship game (State Final 4) and the team finished ranked #9 in the state and #1 in Division 3A of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF).
In 2015-16, Paras played his senior campaign with Middlebrooks Academy where he earned a McDonald's All-American Game nomination and the PEC-6 Conference MVP Award and helped lead Middlebrooks to the regular season PEC-6 Conference championship. He also participated in several elite basketball showcases, including Adidas Nations and the Adidas All-American Camp.
Paras played travel basketball with Compton Magic on the Adidas grassroots circuit and was selected to the Adidas All-American Camp and the international elite showcase Adidas Nations. He is a former four-star recruit by Scout.com as well as a three-star prospect by ESPN.com and Rivals.com.
Along with his experience in the United States, Paras has significant international experience.
He competed for the Philippine National Team in the FIBA 3x3 U-18 World Championships in 2013 and 2015, where he emerged as the event's back-to-back champion in the Slam Dunk competition. Paras also played for the Philippine National Team in 2014 at the FIBA Asia U-18 Men's Championship.
Paras' father, Benjie, enjoyed a stellar professional basketball career in the Philippines. A two-time Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Most Valuable Player, Benjie Paras became the only player in PBA history in 1989 to earn Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in the same season.
Fresh off completing his fourth season as head coach of the Matadors, Theus guided CSUN to an appearance in the Big West Tournament last season. Also in 2016-17, the Matadors finished with the team's most wins in conference play in six seasons and improved their win total from the previous season.
Paras joins incoming freshmen guards Terrell Gomez (Inglewood High School/Middlebrooks Academy) and Jalon Pipkins (Paris High School) and junior college transfer Carl Brown (Mt. San Jacinto College) as Matador newcomers.
Kobe Paras Media Availability Details:
WHO:
CSUN Director of Athletics Dr. Brandon Martin
CSUN Head Men's Basketball Coach Reggie Theus
CSUN student-athlete Kobe Paras
Paras' father, Benjie Paras, and family
WHERE:
The Matadome
18111 Nordhoff St.
Northridge, CA 91330
F5 on the CSUN Campus Map
WHEN:
Wednesday, May 31 at 2:30 p.m.
MISC:
Attendees MUST RSVP for the event in advance via email to amy.millstone@csun.edu. The media availability is not open to the public. Parking will be available in lot F5. Parking passes can be purchased on site for $8.
The media availability will be streamed live online through BigWest.TV at http://bit.ly/CSUNMBBall.
About CSUN Athletics
The CSUN Athletic Department empowers more than 350 student-athletes and staff to achieve comprehensive excellence both on and off the field in 19 intercollegiate sports through a diverse and inclusive educational experience. The Matadors are members of the Big West Conference, their colors are red, white and black and the "Rise of the Matadors" campaign pays tribute to the rich tradition and culture of CSUN Athletics. For Matadors ticket information, please call (818) 677-2488 or visit www.gomatadors.com/tickets. For information on supporting CSUN Athletics, visitwww.gomatadors.com. For additional information, follow the Matadors on Twitter @GoMatadors, on Instagram @MattytheMatador and on Facebook at CSUNAthletics.
Filipino sensation transferring to CSUN, will play starting in 2018-19 season;
Paras will be available to the media on CSUN's campus on May 31 at 2:30 p.m., with details listed at the end of this announcement
Northridge, CA - CSUN Men's Basketball has signed Creighton transfer Kobe Paras, head coach Reggie Theus announced. A 6-foot-6 guard from Manila, Philippines, Paras completed his freshman season with the Bluejays in 2016-17. Paras will be eligible to play for the Matadors starting with the 2018-19 season after sitting out a season due to NCAA transfer rules.
"I'm thrilled to be able to coach Kobe Paras and have him be a part of the Matador family," said Theus. "He's a super athlete with a great motor and high character that has the ability to score in several different ways. I think he has the potential to be one of the best student-athletes in the Big West Conference and I'm expecting big things out of him on the floor. I'm excited to coach Kobe and mentor him both on and off the court."
"I am so excited to be a part of the CSUN family," said Paras. "This is going to be a great move for me and I am really happy to be a part of a great basketball program. Thank you CSUN for making me feel like family from the very beginning. Go Matadors!"
In 15 games with Creighton last season, Paras totaled 20 points and 15 rebounds in 70 total minutes on the floor. Paras scored a season-high six points in 12 minutes of action against Longwood on Dec. 9. He also appeared in Creighton's NCAA opening round contest against Rhode Island where he scored three points and collected a rebound in two minutes.
As his second home, Southern California housed Paras through his high school career. He prepped at Cathedral High School in Los Angeles, CA before playing his senior year at Middlebrooks Academy. In high school, he was an honor roll student, a member of the National Honor Society, a Star Scholar Honoree and a summa cum laude graduate.
At Cathedral, he averaged 15.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 steals as a junior and was an All-State nominee, First Team All-Del Rey League and ranked the 24th-best player in California by CalHiSports. He helped lead Cathedral to the Regional Championship game (State Final 4) and the team finished ranked #9 in the state and #1 in Division 3A of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF).
In 2015-16, Paras played his senior campaign with Middlebrooks Academy where he earned a McDonald's All-American Game nomination and the PEC-6 Conference MVP Award and helped lead Middlebrooks to the regular season PEC-6 Conference championship. He also participated in several elite basketball showcases, including Adidas Nations and the Adidas All-American Camp.
Paras played travel basketball with Compton Magic on the Adidas grassroots circuit and was selected to the Adidas All-American Camp and the international elite showcase Adidas Nations. He is a former four-star recruit by Scout.com as well as a three-star prospect by ESPN.com and Rivals.com.
Along with his experience in the United States, Paras has significant international experience.
He competed for the Philippine National Team in the FIBA 3x3 U-18 World Championships in 2013 and 2015, where he emerged as the event's back-to-back champion in the Slam Dunk competition. Paras also played for the Philippine National Team in 2014 at the FIBA Asia U-18 Men's Championship.
Paras' father, Benjie, enjoyed a stellar professional basketball career in the Philippines. A two-time Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Most Valuable Player, Benjie Paras became the only player in PBA history in 1989 to earn Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in the same season.
Fresh off completing his fourth season as head coach of the Matadors, Theus guided CSUN to an appearance in the Big West Tournament last season. Also in 2016-17, the Matadors finished with the team's most wins in conference play in six seasons and improved their win total from the previous season.
Paras joins incoming freshmen guards Terrell Gomez (Inglewood High School/Middlebrooks Academy) and Jalon Pipkins (Paris High School) and junior college transfer Carl Brown (Mt. San Jacinto College) as Matador newcomers.
Kobe Paras Media Availability Details:
WHO:
CSUN Director of Athletics Dr. Brandon Martin
CSUN Head Men's Basketball Coach Reggie Theus
CSUN student-athlete Kobe Paras
Paras' father, Benjie Paras, and family
WHERE:
The Matadome
18111 Nordhoff St.
Northridge, CA 91330
F5 on the CSUN Campus Map
WHEN:
Wednesday, May 31 at 2:30 p.m.
MISC:
Attendees MUST RSVP for the event in advance via email to amy.millstone@csun.edu. The media availability is not open to the public. Parking will be available in lot F5. Parking passes can be purchased on site for $8.
The media availability will be streamed live online through BigWest.TV at http://bit.ly/CSUNMBBall.
About CSUN Athletics
The CSUN Athletic Department empowers more than 350 student-athletes and staff to achieve comprehensive excellence both on and off the field in 19 intercollegiate sports through a diverse and inclusive educational experience. The Matadors are members of the Big West Conference, their colors are red, white and black and the "Rise of the Matadors" campaign pays tribute to the rich tradition and culture of CSUN Athletics. For Matadors ticket information, please call (818) 677-2488 or visit www.gomatadors.com/tickets. For information on supporting CSUN Athletics, visitwww.gomatadors.com. For additional information, follow the Matadors on Twitter @GoMatadors, on Instagram @MattytheMatador and on Facebook at CSUNAthletics.
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