By Jonas Terrado, PNA
Terrence Romeo spent the pregame of his much-anticipated return yesterday by taking a 30-minute nap inside the dressing room of the Smart Araneta Coliseum while allowing a utility man to give him a body massage.
The customary snooze was perhaps something Romeo had longed for after spending the last few months trying to recover from a knee contusion that forced him to miss most of the PBA Philippine Cup eliminations, and the first two windows of the 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifiers for Gilas Pilipinas.
While many are wondering how he’ll fare while sporting his famous No. 7 jersey for GlobalPort in the crucial match against Phoenix being played at presstime, Romeo only concern was to meet his own expectations.
“Excited lang ako makalaro,” Romeo said in an online video posted by the PBA. “Gusto ko lang gawin is makatulong ako sa team. Hindi ko iniisip kung ano yung ineexpect sa akin ng mga tao, basta gusto ko lang makatulong ako, ibigay ang best ko at sana magtuloy-tuloy.”
Anticipation of Romeo’s comeback after months of rehab began when he hinted a potential Gilas return in the third window of the World Cup qualifiers in late-June, followed by his participation in full-scale Batang Pier practices.
His presence was obviously a huge boost for a Batang Pier squad that needed a win yesterday to secure qualification to the quarterfinals of the season-opening conference.
GlobalPort entered the contest with an even 5-5 record, a victory likely to put them in a best-of-three series depending on the final results of the tiebreaker.
Concerns of GlobalPort struggling throughout were quickly vanquished after Stanley Pringle took the caretaker role of the team’s top scorer, Sean Anthony made his own offensive contributions while maintaining his scrappy plays.
Meralco discard Kelly Nabong felt like he was born again after producing several double-double games and Jonathan Grey would frequently provide energy for returning coach Pido Jarencio.
That is why there’s a sense of optimism within the GlobalPort camp and its neon-clad supporters with Romeo looking to slowly show why he won last season’s scoring champion with an average of 23.1 points per game.
But first, the Batang Pier will have to take of business against the Fuel Masters yesterday.
Gilas up by 1 spot in FIBA ranking
Meantime, a good showing over the weekend propelled Gilas Pilipinas one spot up in the FIBA World Ranking that was released on Friday.
Following a gallant stand against Australia in Melbourne on Thursday night that even saw Gilas taking a first half lead, and a victory over Japan in Pasay on Sunday night, the Philippine team moved to 30th place worldwide from 31st place during the first FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.
While staying the fourth best team in Asia as per the new FIBA ranking, Gilas closed in with rival China, which slipped four spots in the world ranking to 28th overall.
USA stayed at number one overall, while Australia (10th overall) remained the best country in the Asia-Pacific zone.
