MANILA, Philippines -- Gilas Pilipinas rookie playmaker Terrence Romeo has captured the imagination and won the hearts of the fans for his killer crossovers and basketball wizardry in the 37th William Jones Cup.
The local media in Taiwan had been following Romeo's exploits and despite sitting out in the pulsating 92-88 win of Gilas over New Zealand's Wellington Saints, VL Sports reporter Jenny Yu still still picked Romeo to be interviewed at courtside after the game.
The interview, which was beamed on the big screen, went its usual course until Yu popped out the final question to the delight of the crowd inside the Xinhuang Stadium in Chinese Taipei.
Yu asked Romeo: "Last question, can I be your Juliet?"
According to reports from Taiwan, the Gilas' rising star blushed but shunned answering the question and instead thanked the fans and egged them to continue their unwavering support for the Philippine national team.
Sports5's Merv Villar posted the video of the most talked about Jones Cup post-game interview on Facebook page and it's gone viral.
#RomYu#RomYu na loveteam? Hmm. Pwede. Baka sa tamang panahon. HAHA.#Gilaserye #GilasPilipinas #LabanPilipinasPuso #JonesCup
Posted by Merv Ambrosio Villar on Friday, September 4, 2015
Yu also posted her snapshot with Romeo on her official Facebook page and it has captured the imagination of Taiwanese and Filipino fans alike even christening their brewing courtside romance with the hashtag #RomYu.
???????????? Terrence Bill Romeo?????????????????????????????????????????????????#jonescup
Posted by ??? on Friday, September 4, 2015
It turned out that Yu has been smitten by Romeo's nasty crossovers and killer smile since her interview with the Gilas' rising star after Gilas won against her national team Chinese Taipei in Day 2 of the tournament.
????????????????- Terrence Romeo Thank you all the fans in Philippines of supporting me, so happy to see all the sweet messages~~ I'll keep the good work for you all! Xoxo Jenny Yu
Posted by ??? on Monday, August 31, 2015
Yu, meanwhile, sent her shoutout to Filipino basketball fans via Sports5.ph's Carlo Pamintuan.
As requested. You guys are welcome. pic.twitter.com/JVEAt8EKdY
— Carlo Pamintuan (@carlo_pamintuan) September 4, 2015