KNOWN as a high scoring guard, Terrence Romeo was a tamed warrior in his debut with TNT. Nevertheless, the newest KaTropa knew what he needed—patience.
Romeo, an alpha male when he was with GlobalPort for five seasons, was held to 11 points on a four-of-13 shooting against his former team at the start last Sunday of the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
TNT convincingly won, 128-114, thanks to Jayson Castro, who racked up 21 points and 10 assists, and Roger Pogoy, who contributed 20 points and seven rebounds.
Still in adjustment mode since the blockbuster trade early this month which sent him and Yousef Taha to TNT in exhange for Moala Tautuaa and a first-round pick in 2020, Romeo savors the time to learn KaTropa Head Coach Nash Racela’s system.
“I’m finding my true role for the team. Jayson and Coach Nash are always there to support me. I’m really happy with them,” Romeo said.
The 5-foot-11 guard battled a nagging knee injury last year. He missed almost the entire Philippine Cup, which saw GlobalPort bidding an early exit in the quarterfinals against tournament runner-up Magnolia.
This time, with the likes of Castro, Pogoy, Troy Rosario and Ryan Reyes at his back, Romeo is confident he can regain his peak form.
“The atmosphere in TNT is difference. Everyone is helping one another. I’m also impressed because everyone is talented,” Romeo noted.
Although he was in festive mood with his new team, the prolific guard admitted that he felt awkward facing his old friends.
In many instances, Romeo defended Stanley Pringle, one of his best companion in the Batang Pier squad.
Romeo insisted that they are professional enough to blow away the bad air on the court.
“I told him that I felt weird guarding him. But it’s our life as players, we should be ready for any circumstances,” he said.