GILAS Pilipinas has taken the Fiba Asia Cup by storm in Beirut and one man who helped put away all pre-tournament talk on how mighty China is has been heaping praises from international media there.
Terrence Romeo, who exploded for 26 points in a 97-86 upset of the defending champion Chinese last week, is being described as possibly “the best scorer” in the tournament after being the only player in the Top 7 to come off the bench.
An article at Fiba.com on Wednesday was dedicated to the 5-foot-10 Romeo, who is norming 17.7 points in the Filipinos’ first three games to be in the exclusive list.
And not only is he the only player coming off the bench and practically belonging to Gilas’ second unit, he is also averaging the least minutes in the department.
Lebanese legend Fadi El Khatib is shooting an average of 24.3 points in 30 minutes to be at No. 1, with former PBA import Michael Madanly tossing in a shade over 20 points in 29 minutes, counting a 35-point explosion versus China.
But Romeo has been hailed as this tournament’s biggest star and labeled by the article as the Philippines’ new face in international basketball because of his “overflowing swagger, slick ball-handling and streaky shooting,” according to the article.
All the leading scorers from every team in the tournament are consistent starters, with Romeo the only one never to start.