MANILA, Philippines – Filipino basketball prodigy Kobe Paras will be wearing a Bluejays jersey this coming season as he recently committed to Creighton University.
Paras had originally committed to join the UCLA Bruins but was forced to pull out due to ”academic conditions of his admission not being met,” as reported by ESPN’s Jeff Borzello last month.
"I would gladly want to announce that I am taking my talents to Omaha Nebraska," Paras tweeted on Monday, July 18.
Creighton University is currently coached by Greg McDermott, the father of Chicago Bulls forward Doug McDermott (we’ll get to him later). The Jays are currently the 6th ranked team in the Big East.
With the addition of the promising 6-foot-5 guard, the Bluejays hope have a chance to move up the standings.
Whether or not the 19 year old Paras will end up playing in the NBA someday is still to be determined. The Bluejays, however, has proven that they are capable of producing NBA-caliber ballers.
Rappler lists down the top 5 NBA players who were once Creighton University Bluejays.
5. Anthony Tolliver
The 6-foot-8 power forward currently plays for the Sacramento Kings where he averages 5.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.7 assists and had a player impact estimate (PIE) of 7.6% a game last season, according to NBA.com. Since 2009, Tolliver has played for 9 different NBA teams and 4 NBA Developmental League Teams.
Tolliver played for Creighton prior to his professional basketball career. He committed to the Bluejays in 2002. He started 30 out of Creighton’s 34 games during his sophomore year, including an 8-point and 7-rebound performance in a win against the Missouri State Bears in the MVC tournament championship.
4. Benoit Benjamin
Benjamin was the 3rd overall pick of the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the 1985 NBA draft after playing for Creighton University. The 7-foot center has played for 9 different NBA teams in 15 seasons, from 1985 to 2000. Benjamin’s best years were with the Clippers where he averaged 16.4 points per game.
Benjamin averaged a field goal percentage of .541 along with 11.4 points and 2.0 shot blocks per game in his professional basketball career. He is currently the Clippers’ career leader in blocks recording 1,117 and in blocked shots per game with 2.75 during his 6 year stint with the franchise.
3. Doug McDermott
McDermott has been playing as a small forward for the Chicago Bulls since the franchise signed him in 2014. He currently averages 9.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game with 45.2% field goal percentage.
The 24-year-old Bulls forward is the son of the aforementioned Greg McDermott who currently spearheads Creighton as head coach. As a Bluejay, McDermott led the nation in scoring, (listing 26.7 points per game) during the 2013–14 NCAA season.
McDermott was the consensus national player of the year in 2014 as a senior after winning major basketball accolades such as the Wooden, Naismith, Associated Press (AP), National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), and the Sporting News awards.
He finished his college career fifth on the NCAA Division I men's basketball all-time scoring list, garnering 3,150 points, which passed Hall of Famer Larry Bird’s record.
2. Kyle Korver
Korver was instrumental during the Hawks’ first division title win in over 20 years, becoming the first non-Florida-based team to top the NBA's Southeast Division. He also played a huge part during the 2014-15 NBA season, where the Hawks’ clinched the Eastern Conference’ top seed.
Korver averages 9.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists with a 6.8% PIE, and he also holds the NBA record for highest 3-point percentage in a season with 53.6% in 2009-2010.
The 2015 NBA All-Star was included in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) All-Bench, All-Newcomer, and All-Freshman teams after averaging 8.8 points per game with 43.4 percent shooting. Korver is a 2-time “MVC Player of the Year” as he led the Bluejays in the regular season and in the conference championship during his junior year.
1. Paul Silas
Silas captured the NBA Championship thrice in his career. He won two titles with the Boston Celtics in 1974 and 1976, and one with the Seattle Supersonics in 1979. He collected 11,782 points and 12,357 total rebounds in his 16-year NBA career.
The 6-foot-7 power forward has a head coaching career record of 355 wins and 400 losses. He was head coach of the San Diego Clippers (now the Los Angeles Clippers) from 1980-1983, lead the Charlotte Hornets from 1999-2003, before filling a head coach position in Cleveland from 2003-2005.
The 3-time NBA champion played for Creighton University where he set an NCAA record for most rebounds in 3 seasons. He averaged 20.6 rebounds per game in 1963. – Rappler.com