It looks like Terrence Romeo is starting to settle in with the TNT Katropa.
After an underwhelming debut for TNT last Sunday where he only scored 11, the reigning scoring champion had 21 points, six assists, and five rebounds to lead the Katropa to a 106-98 victory over the Phoenix Fuel Masters on Saturday.
However, Romeo downplayed his season-high showing, that he still has to work on a lot of things.
“Madami pa rin kailangan i-improve. Ang dami kong mga poor shots pa rin eh,” said the flamboyant combo guard, who only converted seven of his 19 shots from the floor, with 3-of-11 coming from beyond the arc.
Romeo is fully aware of the way he shot the ball in his second game with TNT. But he knows, too, that he has to take those shots, in order for him to regain his touch — a touch that has made him the scoring king for three straight seasons.
“Kasi kailangan ko rin naman itira eh,” disclosed the reigning scoring champion. “Kailangan ko din kasi itira yun eh. Wala na ako pakialam kung ano isipin ng ibang tao na ay forced shot. Nagiging forced shot lang naman ‘pag sablay para sa’kin.”
“Pero ‘pag na-shoot yun, wala naman sila masasabi, tatahimik sila lahat. Kung hindi ko ititira yun, hindi ko mararating yung gusto kong level, kung ano yung gusto… Paano ko mababalik yung dati,” he pointed out.
“So yun yung naiisip ko eh, sabi ko ititira ko pa rin yung mga dati kong tinitira, para mapag-aralan ko din kung bakit di ko nasho-shoot, kung dati nasho-shoot ko siya. ‘Pag ‘di ko kasi ginawa, di naman ako magi-improve.”
Aside from rhythm, the 26-year-old from Cavite is also keen on regaining his shape — Romeo has yet to reach 100 percent in terms of conditioning due to the long layoff he got from recovering from his right knee injury.
Asked how he can tell if he has gotten his shape back, Romeo said that it depends on his alertness and awareness in some in-game situations.
“Siguro ‘pag nare-recognize ko na yung mga mismatch, tapos mas mabilis na ako nakakapag-isip at di na ako ganun napapagod. Yung buong quarter, or buong minutes ko sa court 100 percent ako, hindi ako napapagod,” he shared. “Tapos yung mga forced shots nali-limit ko na. I mean hindi ko nali-limit, yung ibang forced shots ko na dating nasho-shoot ko, eh bumabalik na. Siguro dun masasabi ko na nakabalik na, and yung depensa kailangan pa rin.
“Tuluy-tuloy pa rin yung diet ko hanggang makabalik ako, yung dati.”
