MANILA (FIBA Asia Cup 2017) - Terrence Romeo broke through the Asian basketball scene last year with great performances in the William Jones Cup 2015 and FIBA Asia Championship 2015, and since then he has been a social media basketball phenomenon. Even this year, when Romeo played for Gilas Pilipinas again in the FIBA OQT, fans all over tuned in to see how he would fare against some of the best hardcourt talents beyond Asia's borders.

Just recently, Gilas Pilipinas launched their new corporate partnership and also introduced some players who will be practicing soon. These players will be vying for spots in the official pool for the SEABA Championship 2017, which is the qualifier for the FIBA Asia Cup 2017. Naturally, Romeo is among these players, and he is excited to suit up again for the national team.

"I'm excited," he said. "As long as there's an opportunity to play for the country, I'll play."

Romeo, who is just 24 years old, acknowledges that he still has the youth and the time to give his all for the flag, and he is all too happy to be able to do so.

"Hopefully, I can still play for the country while I'm still young," he remarked. "When you get older, as much as you want to represent the country, it's going to be harder."

While Romeo is thrilled to have a shot at being among the country’s representatives, he is also relishing the opportunity to play under Chot Reyes, who returns to coaching duties after handing the reins over to Tab Baldwin the past two years.

Aside from Romeo, coach Chot can expect at least 11 more players from the PBA ranks to go along with the 12 who are already in the Gilas pool and the others who were just mentioned in the corporate launch.

"We're happy because we're still there and we still have a chance to compete against the younger cadets," Romeo said.

It is hoped by many that the likes of Calvin Abueva, Jayson Castro, June Mar Fajardo and Ray Parks will join Romeo as part of the 2017 Gilas pool, which will be announced in January.

"At the end of the day, everybody wants to play for the country," Romeo added. "Whoever is fortunate to be chosen, the important thing is we’re all united in giving our best and giving all of our hearts."

FIBA