By Jonas Terrado
Terrence Romeo didn’t get any immediate advice from Jayson Castro, but nonetheless got a warm reception from him and the rest of his new teammates the moment he began practicing for TNT KaTropa yesterday at the Moro Lorenzo gym inside the Ateneo campus.
“Sa ngayon di pa kami gaanong matagal nakakapag-usap about sa serious matter ni kuya Jayson,” Romeo said after practice. “More on batian lang muna, biruan.”
Serious pointers or anything common to it will eventually come, perhaps by the time Romeo gets acclimatized under a different environment at TNT, the team that was finally able to acquire the high-scoring guard from GlobalPort in a trade approved by PBA higher-ups two days earlier.
Many see Romeo’s chances of winning a first championship get better, especially with a TNT squad that competes almost every conference. He and Yousef Taha was dealt from GlobalPort in exchange for Mo Tautuaa and two future draft picks.
Romeo is also raring to show that he can fit in with his new teammates, particularly giving Castro a bit of a breather as far as offensive responsibilities are concerned.
“Sobra akong na-excite kasi kumbaga pakiramdam ko rookie ako ulit kasi every time na lilipat ka sa ibang team, panibagong pakisama, panibagong sistema, panibagong management,” Romeo said. “Kailangan ma-earn mo yung respect ng mga teammates mo, ng management mo kaya parang rookie ako ulit.
What also excites Romeo is the chance of possibly exceeding whatever accolades he had at GlobalPort, the team that allowed him to win several scoring titles and Mythical Team selections, to a name a few.
Romeo’s best finish with GlobalPort was in the 2016 PBA Philippine Cup when it reached the semifinals.
“Kung ano man yung naging accomplishments ko sa GlobalPort, mananatili na yun dun,” he said. “Dito kailangan makagawa ako ng mas maganda, which is lahat naman nakuha nang award e. Ang pinakapangarap ko lang is yung makapaglaro ng finals or makuha yung championship. Yun lang talaga ang pinaka-dream ko. So sana, sana pagtulungan naming lahat and makuha namin.”
While Romeo could be the final piece in TNT’s championship ambitions, coach Nash Racela offered to disprove such claim in a philosophical way.
“There’s always a lot of pieces in a puzzle. Every piece is important,” said Racela. “You can never say if a puzzle is complete until you get to your main objective. I always believe that only time can tell.”
