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20 November, 2017
26 February, 2019
7 Terrence Romeo (PHI)
22/05/2017
News
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Romeo feels Philippines need hard preparation for Asia Qualifiers

MANILA (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019) - Terrence Romeo just helped the Philippines dominate the SEABA Championship 2017, but he is already looking ahead to bigger battles for Gilas Pilipinas.

The 1.79m superstar combo guard from the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) played around 15 minutes per ballgame in the biennial SEABA joust - less than what he's used to - but he still made the most of his time on the floor, averaging around 8 points and 4 assists while shooting 36.4% from beyond the arc. National team coach Chot Reyes used the tournament to give his younger players a bit more experience, so up-and-comers like Jio Jalalon, RR Pogoy, Matthew Wright and Allein Maliksi all got a ton of playing time while "old hands" Romeo and Jayson Castro were given virtual supporting roles. Still, despite the shift in his job description, Romeo was overwhelmed with pride and happiness once they annexed the SEABA crown.

"We are overjoyed," he said right after Gilas Pilipinas defeated Indonesia on the final day. "This is the happiest feeling because our mission has finally ended and we achieved our goal."

The Philippines romped through the gauntlet of foes in the SEABA competition, obliterating Myanmar, Singapore and Malaysia in succession before taking a one-day break on Day 4. They returned to action and routed erstwhile contender Thailand before toying with Vietnam and then vanquishing Indonesia.

The end result formalized the Philippines' entry into the FIBA Asia Cup 2017 and solidified their spot in the Asia Qualifiers for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019, where they find themselves grouped with East Asian rivals Japan and Chinese Taipei as well as Oceania powerhouse Australia. Facing the prospect of colliding with these formidable squads, Romeo expressed awareness of the enormity of the task ahead of the national team.

"Well, whoever gets chosen for our national team for the qualifiers will have to really prepare hard for those strong teams."Terrence RomeoTerrence Romeo

Romeo and the rest of his teammates are unsure if they will be called up for the Gilas Pilipinas quintet that will see action in the remaining tournaments of 2017. This is because the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) and the PBA have yet to sit down and agree upon a framework they will mutually follow regarding the formation of a pool from which the national team will get their players for the FIBA Asia Cup, SEA Games and the Asia Qualifiers.

The road ahead is full of uncertainty and hard preparation is surely warranted, but should talents like Terrence Romeo remain willing and available, Gilas Pilipinas should be confident about their chances of making a lot of noise on a much bigger stage.


FIBA