Gilas stint accelerates Romeo's maturity

MANILA, Philippines -- Young GlobalPort combo guard Terrence Romeo is coming off a stellar performance last season punctuated by his Most Improved Player award.

This season, Romeo said his confidence is sky-high, pointing to his recent Gilas Pilipinas experience as the biggest reason why he is excited to lead the charge for the retooled GlobalPort side.

“Malaki (naitulong ng experience ko sa Gilas) gaya ng decision-making ko saka aggressiveness ko sa laro,” Romeo told Philstar.com, whose team beat the NLEX Road Warriors on Wednesday, 96-90 as the Batang Pier hiked their record to 5-3.

Romeo said he has no qualms playing off the bench under coach Pido Jarencio as he recovers from fatigue after spending the offseason with Gilas.

“Okay naman ako ngayon physically. And mentally nandun na ako. Mas napaghahandaan ko na saka naiiisip ko ano yung dapat ko gawin sa laro,” he added.

But the 23-year-old three-point gunner, who torched NLEX with a game-high 29 points, remains unsatisfied with what GlobalPort has achieved so far in the season-opening Philippine Cup.

Romeo understands that fans are expecting a lot from them this season, whose team boosted its stock during the offseason by acquiring veterans like Joseph Yeo, Jay Washington, Jonathan Uyloan and Dorian Pena, along with rookies Roi Sumang and Philip Paniamogan.

“Mas malaki ang expectation sa amin pero kailangan, di kami maglaro sa expectation (ng fans) kundi gawin lang namin yung right basketball. Gawin lang namin yung tama,” stressed the former Far Eastern University star.

Outside Romeo, the Batang Pier are loaded with scorers led by last season’s Rookie of the Year Stanley Pringle, vastly improved Keith Jensen, Yeo, Washington and Tony Semerad.

But Romeo is hopeful that everyone will approach each game with a strong defensive mindset.

“Ang gusto kasi i-emphasize ni coach Pido, yung kailangan ma-maintain namin yung ganung laro sa defense,” he said.

GlobalPort won’t be back in action till Wednesday next week when the Batang Pier take on the fast-fading Meralco Bolts at the Cuneta Astrodome.