Barrios invites Romeo to 3x3 World Cup

MANILA, Philippines — SBP executive director Sonny Barrios has extended an invitation to Gilas and GlobalPort standout Terrence Romeo to lead host Philippines at the FIBA 3x3 World Cup in Manila on June 8-12.

Romeo, 25, met with Barrios after GlobalPort beat Rain Or Shine, 78-70, in the PBA Philippine Cup at the MOA Arena last Friday. Romeo, still in the injured list while undergoing therapy for a bruised right knee, said he’ll be ready to play after the first conference.

Romeo suffered a contusion in his knee during the FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon last August. He was spectacular in Gilas’ 96-87 win over China to start the competition, scoring 26 points, including 5-of-7 triples. After the FIBA joust, Romeo played six games for GlobalPort in the Governors Cup but it was evident he wasn’t 100 percent. He sat out GlobalPort’s last game against Meralco as the Batang Pier dropped its final five outings.

Romeo said he doesn’t expect to play this conference. “I’m not ready to play at the moment,” he said in Pilipino. “I’m still doing rehab. I can only do light jogging and some stationary shooting. I watch what I eat so I don’t gain weight. Once I finish my therapy, I hope to be 100 percent right away. I don’t want to force it. If I play now, I don’t think I’ll be able to help my team. I’ll only be a burden to my teammates. I won’t be able to play like I used to. It would be unfair to my team and I don’t want to disappoint the fans.”

Romeo said no surgery is required to repair the damage in his knee. “It’s just banged up,” he said. “The doctor told me no need for an operation. I have to strengthen my knee. If I play ahead of schedule, my condition could worsen. The doctor doesn’t want me to take that chance.”

Romeo said he misses playing with Gilas. Because of his knee problem, he skipped the first home-and-away window of the FIBA Asa/Pacific qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Romeo was included in the 16-man list approved by the PBA to form the pool for the second home-and-away window next month but has begged off from playing. 

Romeo said he’ll be ready to play in the third qualifying window against Chinese-Taipei in Taiwan on June 29 and Australia at home on July 2. He’ll also be available for the FIBA 3x3 World Cup on June 8-12 when the country hosts 20 men’s and 20 women’s teams. Among the men’s teams are Brazil, Canada, Russia, Japan and defending champion Serbia. Among the women’s teams are the US, Argentina, China, France, Iran, Italy, Spain and defending champion Russia.

Romeo, Aldrech Ramos, KG Canaleta and Rey Guevarra were on the Manila West squad that took the FIBA World Tour 3x3 Masters title in the Manila leg in July 2014. Manila West defeated Auckland, 14-9, in the quarterfinals, Jakarta, 18-14, in the semifinals and Doha, 21-17, in the final to claim the $10,000 first prize. The quartet then represented the Philippines at the World Tour 3x3 Finals in Tokyo that October and finished fifth of 12.

Romeo was on the bench cheering his teammates as GlobalPort picked up its first win of the conference last Friday. He brushed off rumors that he’s holding out to be traded. “I’m not leaving GlobalPort,” he said. “But you never know in basketball. If the bosses decide to trade you, that’s it. At the moment, I’m staying put. I’m proud of my teammates. We’ve lost games because we couldn’t finish strong. Against Rain Or Shine, we played tough defense up to the end. We played as a team.” He singled out Stanley Pringle and Sean Anthony for their outstanding performance. Pringle showed the way with 29 points while Anthony, playing selflessly, delivered 13 rebounds and 12 assists, scoring only three points.