Terrence Romeo rained down praises on Stanley Pringle as he witnessed how his former teammate in the GlobalPort Batang Pier dazzled in his Gilas 3×3 debut in the 2018 FIBA 3X3 World Cup, Saturday at the Philippine Arena.
Romeo served as a guest in the 3X3 World Cup’s Celebrity Shootout side event presented by Chooks-to-Go, where he went up against the Celebrity team of senators Joel Villanueva and Sonny Angara with SAP Bong Go – and won.
Romeo saw firsthand how the Filipino-American impressed against world number six Brazil and Asian 3×3 powerhouse Mongolia. Pringle – after two games where Gilas went 1-1 – emerged as the team’s top scorer with a total of 10.
“Sobrang ganda ng laro niya,” lauded the TNT Katropa scoring guard. “Bilib na bilib ako. Before pa lang sa game, alam ko na yung gagawin ni Stanley. Madali lang sa kanya yun eh. Si Stanley, matalinong player din.
“Si Stanley, ‘di mo pa kayang bantayan ng one-on-one.”
The two are good friends as they played for three seasons in the Batang Pier, and Romeo shared that he had dished out tips for Pringle, warning the latter that he will now be a marked man by the opposing teams’ physical defenses.
“Sabi ko kailangan adjust ka na tumira ka sa labas kasi nakita nila na kaya mong ume-explode,” said Romeo, he himself a veteran already in the international three-a-side scene. “Ngayon, kailangan hayaan mo silang mag-isip.
“‘Pag nahi-hit mo yung labas mo, kailangang mag-isip sila kung paano ka babantayan.”
Romeo was also able to watch reigning two-time 3X3 world champions Serbia in action. The Serbians, led by Dusan Bulut, were impressive in their victories over rivals Netherlands, 21-17, and New Zealand, 22-13.
So for the 26-year-old, what he really wishes to see in this year’s 3X3 World Cup is for Pringle and Gilas to go head-to-head with the team from Europe’s Balkan peninsula. And if ever it happens, he only has one request for Pringle
“Gusto ko makita yun. ‘Pag nagtapat yun, kahit saang lugar, babyahe ako para panoorin yung laban na yun, ‘pag nagtapat ang Pilipinas at Serbia, kasi idol ko si Dusan. Kahit dati pa, bilib na bilib ako kung paano siya maglaro,” he said.
“Tapos nandito si Stanley, eh isa si Stanley sa mga nilu-look up ko sa PBA. Kaya maganda. Sabi ko sa kanya, ‘Bro, crossover-an mo yan ha?”
