DRAFT pick Andre Paras assured Blackwater management of his complete focus in the PBA 46th season.
Paras, 25, gave his word to team owner Dioceldo Sy amid concern over his divided attention as he also dabbles in acting, modelling, and TV hosting.
This same concern affected his standings in last week’s rookie draft, where he fell tothe third round after being picked at No. 27 overall by the Bossing.
But the son of cage legend Benjie Paras gave his word to Sy.
“Sinabi ni Andre na he will be focusing on basketball kasi 'yan ang gusto niya. And I’m happy to hear that,” said the Blackwater owner.
“Ang kanyang TV career will be secondary, or siguro he will adjust the time na hindi conflict sa ensayo namin.”
Although Andre was among the rookie applicants who had a workout with the Bossing, the franchise didn’t expect the 6-foot-4 power forward to be still available by the time Blackwater picked again in the third round.
“Kumbaga hulog na lang (sa amin) yun, e,” said Sy, who was quick to label Paras as possibly ‘the steal of the draft’ of the Class of 2020.
Sy said he has yet to sign Paras to a contract along with the Bossing’s first two picks in the second round, namely Rey Mark Acuno and Joshua Torralba.
The recent surge of new COVID-19 cases made it difficult for management to meet their rookie picks face-to-face, according to Sy.
“Hindi naman ako lang ang nakakaranas ng ganyang difficulty in negotiating (contracts),” said the former chairman of the defunct Philippine Basketball League (PBL).
“But we hope to close some of the contracts this coming week.”