LA Tenorio was left appalled with what Terrence Romeo did to him Tuesday night in the quarterfinal bout between top-seeded Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Globalport Batang Pier at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum
“I was surprised with what happened,” admitted the 32-year-old floor general regarding the incident moments after their semifinal-clinching victory, 96-85.
“Puro raw ako reklamo. The whole game, I’m relaxed; I’m just doing my job on defense. Yun lang naman ang kailangan kong gawin.”
With 3:28 left to play, the two guards were boxing out each other underneath for the rebound, leading to both of them being tangled. Romeo did not seem to like Tenorio’s hard contact and gave out a swinging backfist to the latter’s rib.
The third-year combo guard was whistled for a flagrant foul penalty two as a result, disqualifying him from the game for good. He finished with 22 markers on 21 shots in the nearly 35 minutes he saw action on the court.
But despite the unpleasant moment, Tenorio, who was also whistled for a technical foul due to taunting, still did his best to defend his former Gilas Pilipinas teammate, saying that Romeo’s act was out of sheer frustration.
“I think natural tendency of a player is really to get frustrated, especially when things are not going well sa team, or sa’yo as a player,” said Tenorio. “Kinakausap ko pa nga siya sa game eh, that’s why I’m surprised.
“He really got frustrated sa nangyari.”
The two-time champion even handed out an unsolicited advice for the young scoring machine out of Far Eastern University, as he has become one of Romeo’s “kuyas” especially during their time with the national squad not so long ago.
“Siguro as a kuya, I think if you’re frustrated, after the game na kayo mag-retaliate or whatever,” said the 11 year league veteran.
“My advice lang is really as a kuya. Nakikinig naman siya sa akin eh. He’s a great player, a very talented player… A lot of kids, a lot of people are watching him. He’s one of the faces of the PBA.
“Dapat ingat din siya sa mga ganung act. He’s not a dirty player,” said Tenorio.
It may have been an awful way to cap off the match, but Tenorio does not want to dwell on it anymore. For him, there are more important things ahead of them, particularly the semifinal stage.
“The most important thing now is we’re in the semis. We’re going to focus on the next game. I’m not going to, parang, gagawing big deal ‘tong nangyari sa amin,” closed Tenorio.
Romeo was reached by mediamen moments after the match to get his side, but he declined.
