Although he had played a huge role in Gilas Pilipinas’ 93-71 thumping of Chinese Taipei in the third window of the 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers on Friday, it was still something of a rough night for Terrence Romeo.
Romeo was a recipient of the Taiwanese crowd’s hostility as he was showered with boos upon his entry at the 5:38 mark of the opening frame – a total opposite of what happened in the 2015 Jones Cup, where the locals loved him.
“Nagulat ako binoo ako,” shared the 26-year-old guard, who finished the game with 14 points, six assists, and two rebounds. “Pero alam mo yun, para sa’kin, dati din nila akong na-appreciate kasi ako lang yung pumasok na binoo nila eh.
“So may special meaning kung bakit nila ginawa sa’kin yun.”
But aside from that, the 5-foot-11 TNT Katropa scorer finished the match with a huge scratch on his face, which, according to him, had been inadvertently given by Chinese Taipei’s spitfire guard Chen Ying-chun.
“Paglabas ko sa screen, nakalmot ni Chen, yung number nine. Hinahabol niya ‘ko. ‘Di naman sadya. Kahit na masakit siyempre kailangan tuloy pa rin,” recalled Romeo. “Medyo naapektuhan yung gilid [ng mata] kasi nakalmot.”
Bagging the win is the perfect compensation for all Romeo had received in Taipei. However, another challenge looms, as Gilas faces the Australia Boomers, who beat the Filipinos back in the second window.
Romeo will surely go head-to-head with the Boomers’ 6-foot-4 combo guard Matthew Dellavedova, who has built an identity as a hard-nosed defender in the four years he has been playing in the NBA.
The former FEU Tamaraws star admitted that he will have a hard time facing Dellavedova. But he knows, too, that no problem is huge as long as he has his teammates around him.
“Nako, hindi magiging madali,” Romeo remarked about Dellavedova, who was limited to just four points by Japan last Friday. “Napaka-galing dumipensa ni Dellavedova. Kaya kailangan ko mas maging mautak. Pero, team effort…
“Magtutulungan kaming lahat kasi ‘di ko kaya mag-isa si Delly eh.”
