As deep as the San Miguel Beermen's lineup for the upcoming PBA Commissioner’s Cup, it seems that fans still have their eyes on the team’s rookie Kyt Jimenez.
Jimenez, who will sit out the said conference due to his ongoing ties in the MPBL, has drawn comparisons to his idol and now-teammate Terrence Romeo.
During the PBA’s Media Day on Tuesday, Romeo gave Jimenez the ultimate compliment.
“Mas magaling pa yata sakin talaga si Kyt,” said Romeo. “Siguro matanda na ako. Kumbaga dati siguro nung kabataan ko parang 'yung mga ginagawa ni Kyt ngayon parang hindi ko gaanong nagagawa.”
The three-time PBA scoring king even touted Jimenez’s work ethic during their practices.
“Sobrang sipag, sobrang grabe makinig. Tapos nakita namin 'yung work ethic niya. Grabe siya sa practice, ang galing ng pinapakita niya sa practice. So excited ako maka-teammate siya,” said Romeo.
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At 31 years old, Romeo has become a mentor for Jimenez, who was the 76th overall pick in the PBA Draft. He has even given him some important advice as the young guard starts his PBA journey.
“Maraming nangangarap mapunta ng PBA and madali mapunta ng PBA. Ang problema, mahirap tumagal, so humanap ka ng way kung paano ka tatagal sa PBA,” said Romeo. “Make sure mo na tatagal ka na nagdo-dominate ka na gumagawa ka ng sarili mong name.”
Of course, being the true competitor that Romeo is, the SMB guard also made sure to issue a reminder for everyone.
“Pero kaya ko pa naman mag-compete, kaya ko pa naman sumabay,” said Romeo.
With a healthy Romeo this time around, the Beermen are poised to compete for the title once more and add to their 29 titles.
(With reports from Mei-Lin Lozada, One Sports Digital)
(PM)