Kyle Paranada finally breaks out for the UST Growling Tigers as they tighten their hold on a Final Four spot.
Following his Season 85 breakout with the UE Red Warriors, Kyle Paranada made the shocking decision to join the UST Growling Tigers under returning head coach Pido Jarencio in 2023.
After serving his residency, the Fil-Am guard would make his debut a year later as part of the Tigers’ Season 87 squad. As a revelation in Recto, all eyes remained on Paranada as he joined a deep guard rotation that included the likes of Forthsky Padrigao and Nic Cabañero in España.
However, things were far from ideal in Paranada’s UST debut. Coming off the Tigers’ bench, the spitfire scorer struggled to find his shot, only averaging 3.43 points on a lackluster 31.82 percent shooting after the first half of eliminations.
But despite this slump, UST’s coaches kept their faith in Paranada as he continued integrating himself into the system in place.
“Well the coaches, they believe in me to score and create plays,” Paranada told The GAME in a recent interview. “So I just go out there with confidence and I just play smart, listen to Coach Pido’s game plan. He told me to go out there and create plays for others, score for myself, so that’s what I did.”
Things began looking up by Round 2 for Paranada, who scored eight fourth-quarter points in the Tigers’ close loss to defending champs La Salle last October 16. Despite another loss, Paranada chipped in six points, to go along with four assists and three rebounds against Ateneo.
Then came their rematch with FEU over the weekend. With the Tams threatening to upset the Tigers, Paranada came alive off the bench, going off for a season-high 13 points as he helped repel their neighborhood rivals.
Nine of Paranada’s 13 points came in the fourth quarter, going 4-of-4 as the Tigers traded buckets with the pesky Tamaraws in the 79-70 victory.
“It’s a big confidence booster because I see the ball go inside the hoop so it’s good for my next coming games. We got three more games so yeah, it’s good,” Paranada said of his breakout game.
“Again, my teammates trust in me and my coach trusts in me and just listening to Coach Pido’s game plan. He tells me to score, create for others. That’s what I do.”
But Kyle Paranada knows that he’s still a work in progress, rating his fit as an “8 out of 10” in the current system after 11 games with the Tigers. Still, he feels right at home, saying, “It’s a fast-paced system, they like to push the ball and that’s my game. So I like that.”
Team culture is another plus, given the Tigers’ resurgent ways. According to Paranada, everyone is “vibing good” in practice, and they bond well even off the court.
Of course, there’s the opportunity to learn from Padrigao and Cabañero.
Paranada added, “Man, it’s a blessing to play with them because they experienced so much over here. Forthsky won [one] championship, so I’m learning from him every day. Nic, he’s a great guy, great player and I learn from him every day too.”
Banner image courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau.