Terrence Romeo and the Globalport Batang Pier have now adjusted to their roles
Globalport’s 26-point collapse to the Phoenix Fuel Masters last December 28 is now a thing of the past. A couple of strong performances against the Meralco Bolts and the NLEX Road Warriors have brought them back into the thick of things, and they now stand at solo third.
“The players have accepted their roles, that’s why we are giving extending minutes to rest Terrence and Stanley,” said Globalport head coach Franz Pumaren after Globalport’s 110-96 routing of NLEX.
And it was evident that Terrence Romeo has also familiarized himself with the capabilities of his teammates.
After a scorching 22-point first half performance, the 5-foot-11 gunslinger settled down and was happy to pass the rock to his teammates. The trust he gave them created pure synergy, as the Batang Pier were able to withstand multiple comeback attempts by NLEX.
“Natutunan ko yun nung mga last games ko, pagka-first half okay laro ko, pagdating ng third and fourth pag pinilit ko pa rin na ako pa rin, masyadong nakatutok sa ‘kin yung depensa,” shared the league’s leading scorer at 27.63 points per game.
The Caviteño added 10 points to his tally in the last 24 minutes of the game. And he did not need to do more, as Stanley Pringle, Papot Paredes, and JR Quinahan were all able to contribute to the win.
“Ginawa ko nag-spot up lang ako, hinayaan ko sila maglaro. Pero pag tingin ko naman na kailangan nila ako, kukunin ko din ang bola at didiskarte din ako,” the fifth overall pick in the 2013 draft furthered.
“Kanina confident naman ako kasi si Stanley nandoon, alam ko na magte-take over siya. Si coach Franz alam niya kung saan ise-set yung mga players.”
For Romeo, this realization had come after their embarrassing loss to Phoenix.
“Tumatak yun sa buong mga career namin [Phoenix loss], kasi parang isa yata yun sa biggest comeback eh. Dapat di na mangyari yun,” he added.
With a tough schedule ahead — including a showdown with the San Miguel Beermen in Cebu next Saturday — the all-PBA team member is laser-focused on the next task at hand.
“Yung goal namin is mapunta dun sa number one or number two so hindi kami puwede matuwa dahil natalo namin NLEX,” the 24-year-old added. “Kumbaga after one day na celebration, next day back to focus na kami kasi next game namin is San Miguel, number one sa PBA yun.
“Kailangan namin mag-set ng goal na talunin sila [SMB] para tumaas yung boost [of confidence] namin na kaya naming talunin lahat ng teams sa PBA.”
And all they want right now is to at least match the semifinals finish they had a season ago.
