Gilas guard Terrence Romeo learning point guard chores the hard way
Flamboyant guard Terrence Romeo may be the toast of Philippine basketball today but that does not, by any means, exempt him from the wrath of Gilas head coach Tab Baldwin.
After blowing consecutive defensive assignments, the American-New Zealander lit into the rest of the Gilas but singled out the blonde-haired bomber and told him to be more vocal in leading his five-man squad.
“Lead your team!” shouted Baldwin in Romeo’s face, not just in front of the rest of the team but in plain view of the 60-plus strong crowd that braved the late night to get a peek at their national squad.
But according to veteran wingman Dondon Hontiveros, Baldwin’s outburst was part and parcel in the development of Romeo from an unconscious gunner to full-fledged point guard, something the team needs when they head over to China to compete in the Fiba Asia Men’s Championship on Sept. 21.
“Nilagay si Terrence (Romeo) sa second group para mas ma-develop yung growth niya as a leader, para mas maging vocal siya,” recalled Hontiveros of the five-on-five drill that saw the former Far Eastern University Tamaraw pair up with several neophytes such as reserve forward Troy Rosario and Calvin Abueva.
“Kasi kung dito lang siya sa amin, makikinig lang siya sa amin , whereas kung dun siya sa kabila, siya yung magdadala talaga ng team,” shared the Cebuano two-guard who Romeo has taken a liking to owing to their Visayas roots.
Romeo’s continued evolution into a true point guard is integral to the team’s success in the upcoming China tilt especially on this version of the Gilas that utilizes the latter and combo guard Jayson Castro as the main ball-handlers.
Hontiveros also pointed out that for most of Romeo’s basketball career, he has been looked upon to score – and nothing else. That has to change here in the Gilas squad.
“All his life he has been the guy who is looked upon to score. Now he’ll be the guy to lead this team, not just necessarily to score but to orchestrate and put his guys in the right spot, be it on offense or defense. We, as veterans, are just here to remind him of his responsibilities.”
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