San Miguel guard Terrence Romeo. PBA IMAGES
Terrence Romeo’s eyes widened when told about his 12-point performance despite playing limited minutes in his first game back from injury.
His surprise was much more evident when told he was the last player to be named Finals MVP in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup.
“For real?” he told the Inquirer on the heels of San Miguel’s 113-108 victory over Meralco late Friday night at PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
“I can’t even remember anymore. It’s been too long. Sh-t,” he added. The last time the Commissioner’s Cup was held was in 2019, before COVID-19 shut down sports in the country.
Not as long, but still a test of patience, was Romeo’s hiatus. He’s been out for nearly nine months. The spitfire scorer last played on March 18 in the Beermen’s—ironically—losing stand against the Bolts towards the end of the Governors’ Cup.
Nagging back problems has kept him out since.
Romeo understands that there’s a process that comes to regaining his old deadly form. But he admitted his competitive side has made things hard for him once he took the court.
“I feel like my mind was willing. I just couldn’t get my body to do as my mind wished,” he said of his 16-minute performance. “I wanted to do a lot of things, but I could only do them in my mind.”
“It was difficult getting back to the court. Especially for me, coming back from an injury. I was always thinking about trying to get back to my old game,” Romeo said.
The 30-year-old Romeo’s path back to his old form will run through a young and dangerous Converge team that has embraced new coach Aldin Ayo’s frantic pace.
“My first game back was against Meralco, which has quick players. And now, of all teams we’ll tackle in the playoffs, it’s Converge. They’re all in top condition and the players have embraced their system,” Romeo said.
“But I’ll try my hardest to keep up. Just like in the game earlier, I’m always out to help my team,” he added. “I believe that the more I play, the more I will be confident in myself. My game’s timing will follow.”
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