For Jayson Castro, it is only a matter of time before Terrence Romeo showcases his old form.
The 31-year-old saw how Romeo could be a major part of TNT’s future on Saturday, as the reigning scoring king had a season-high 21 points with six dimes and five caroms to lead the Katropa past the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 106-98.
Castro was nothing but impressed with what he had seen from the 26-year-old.
“Maganda kasi nakuha na niya yung rhythm niya,” remarked Castro. “Kung makikita mo sa practice, before and after practice, talagang one hour before and then one hour after the practice, talagang nandoon siya.
“Yung work ethic niya ngayon, maganda.”
Romeo, for his part, insisted that he still has a lot of polishing to do as far as rhythm and shape are concerned — the former Far Eastern University standout only shot 7-of-19 from the field, going 3-of-11 from rainbow country.
“Madami pa rin kailangan i-improve. Ang dami kong mga poor shots pa rin eh,” said Romeo, who only had 11 points in his TNT debut last Sunday against his former team GlobalPort Batang Pier where the Katropa won, 128-114.
But for Castro — himself a scoring champion back in 2014 — he is confident that his mentee is just a few steps away from regaining the things he lost, no thanks to the lengthy rest he had due to a knee injury.
“So mga ilang games pa siguro, makikita natin yung talagang Terrence Romeo,” said the six-time champion. “Kasi ngayon, medyo nangangapa pa siya and at the same time, yung rhythm niya, medyo nawawala pa siya.
“Pero kita naman na anytime gusto niyang umi-score, kaya niya.”