Can Romeo outdance his opponents still?
Many fans were excited to hear Terrence Romeo suiting up for the Philippine national team once again, as Gilas Pilipinas will be heading to the Asian Games under coach Tim Cone.
And Romeo himself seems to be upbeat about reuniting with Calvin Abueva for a squad that has a PBA core, along with naturalized players Justin Brownlee and Ange Kouame.
"Excited ako. Kahit kaunti lang time namin, I'm sure bibigay namin best effort," he said in an interview after an open joint practice with the Gilas Women.
He's been wearing the Gilas Pilipinas jersey for the 5-on-5 squad since 2015, and his growth with the national team can be tracked like how his hairstyle evolves.
When he broke into the 3x3 scene in 2014, he wowed fans with his handles and left opponents in the dust with his crossovers. At the time, he was fresh-faced with broom-like hair and bleached tips.
By 2016, even FIBA took notice of his handles during the Olympic Qualifying Tournament. He was sporting cornrow braids back then.
He had his best performance for Gilas Pilipinas in the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup, registering 17.8 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 3 assists per game with an efficiency of 11.7. Romeo had his long locks tied in a ponytail.
Now, the 31-year-old Romeo is getting back to form after recuperating from injuries... and now sports a Daniel Padilla-inspired hairstyle.
"I guess 'yung experience ko before noong bata pa ko, madadala ko," Romeo told reporters on Thursday night.
Time will tell whether Romeo has fully recovered from his herniated disc and hamstring injury as Gilas will open its Asian Games campaign on September 26 against Bahrain, Thailand, and Jordan in Group C.
(CF)