MANILA, Philippines – After showing off what he can do offensively in the William Jones Cup, Terrence Romeo is bracing for the worst as Gilas Pilipinas kicks off its gold-medal campaign in the Fiba-Asia men’s championships on Wednesday in Changsa-Hunan, China.
Romeo, the 23-year-old flamboyant Gilas rookie, believes his scoring rampage in the Jones Cup could make him an easy defensive target for their Asian opponents.
“Siguro nakita na nila (his ability to score), pero sana, di nila (Asian opponents) ako na-scout saka maganda pa rin ang maipakita ko,” Romeo told Philstar.com, when asked to share his thoughts, just a day before Gilas plays Palestine in Group B.
The 5-foot-11 Romeo, last season’s PBA scoring champion, led Gilas in scoring with his 16.6 points average to help the national side clinch the silver in the Jones Cup.
His best scoring output was 23 points in Gilas’ 82-70 loss to South Korea, one of only two losses the team had in the tournament.
Romeo admitted that he’s having butterflies on his stomach as he plays his very first game in the Fiba-Asia men’s championships, knowing that the region’s best players are ready to compete for the lone Olympic ticket.
“Siyempre excited na may konting kaba. Lagi naman kasama sa mga players yun, pero ibibigay namin ang best namin,” vowed the former Far Eastern University superstar.
Nonetheless, Romeo promised to go all-out in the Asian cage joust.
“Kapag nandun ka na (on the court), ibang usapan na yun. Kailangan focused saka mas buo ang loob mo,” he added.
After the national side’s 11:45 am match against Palestine, Gilas collide with Hong Kong on Thursday (9:30 a.m.), before closing out its Group B match against Kuwait (4:45 p.m.) on Friday.