Kobe Paras makes All-Tournament Team in US cagefest

MANILA, Philippines – Kobe Paras' journey to the NBA is still far and away.

But with recent exploits for Los Angeles Cathedral in a Southern California high school tournament, the son of former PBA rookie Most Valuable Player is starting to close in on his dream.

And he's doing it inch by every inch.

The 6-6 Paras, who started to play high school ball for La Salle-Greenhills before transferring to LA this year, helped Cathedral snatch a come-from-behind 65-63 win and the San Fernando Valley Invitational title the other day.

Although it was the huge triple by teammate Milan Acquaah that lifted the team to the victory, Paras was the one who carried them the whole tournament by averaging 16 points in all six wins, including a 30-point eruption in a 77-67 semifinal win over Alemany the day before.

For his effort, Paras was named into the All-Tournament Team.

“Great win! Thank you to everyone who watched! & a big s/o to Chaminade and the Chaminade SS! I hope my school has a SS section like that,” said Paras on his Twitter account @Im_Not_Kobe.

Paras, who is committed to play for US NCAA Division I UCLA, is using the United States experience to realize his NBA dream.

Slowly, he's getting there.