MANILA, Philippines – Terrence Romeo admitted he’s still trying to find his role for the TNT KaTropa, but said he’s happy where he belongs. 

The flamboyant guard, who played just two games in the 2018 PBA Philippine Cup before being shipped by the GlobalPort Batang Pier to the KaTropa with Yousef Taha for Mo Tautuaa and future picks, said he’s still adjusting with how things are done in TNT.

That showed in his TNT debut when Romeo, a 3-time PBA scoring champion, scored just 11 points on a paltry 4-of-13 shooting to go with 5 turnovers. He had 3 assists and two rebounds, though. 

“Medyo kinakapa ko pa,” said Romeo. (I’m still trying to figure things out.) 

But aside from learning the ropes with his new squad, the 26-year-old is also dealing with getting back in top shape. (READ: Romeo on dribbling violations: ‘Ewan ko kung saang planeta siya nag-referee‘)

Prior to his first game back for the Batang Pier last March 2 – a 100-104 loss to the Phoenix Fuel Masters – Romeo did not play in a PBA game for 5 months due to a knee injury. He also missed GlobalPort’s first 10 games in its All-Filipino campaign. 

“Pine-pace ko ‘yung sarili ko kasi ‘di ko alam kung kailan ako mapapagod compared dati na simula umpisa hanggang matapos ‘yung huli, ‘yun pa rin ‘yung energy ko,” said Romeo. 

(I’m still pacing myself since I don’t know when I’ll get tired, unlike before when I had the same energy from beginning to end.) 

“Kailangan mabalik ko ‘yun. Sana, hopefully, bago kami umabot sa gusto naming marating,” he added.

(I need to be like that again. Hopefully, I can achieve that before we reach our goals.)

Despite Romeo’s relatively cold outing – which TNT head coach Nash Racela called “acceptable” – the KaTropa proved too hot to handle as they routed the Batang Pier, 128-114, on Sunday, April 22. 

Aside from Romeo, 6 other players breached double figures, with Jayson Castro and Roger Pogoy leading the way with 21 and 20 points, respectively. 

Although he is not the top offensive option in TNT compared to his stint with the Batang Pier, Romeo doesn’t seem to mind. 

“Sobrang saya. Kakaiba ‘yung atmosphere dito sa bago kong team. Tuwang tuwa ako at part na ‘ko ng TNT team dahil lahat nagtutulungan, lahat nagsusuportahan sa isa’t isa,” said Romeo. 

(I’m really happy here. It’s a different atmosphere here with my team. I’m happy that I’m part of TNT because everybody helps and supports each other.)

“And ‘di mo na kakailanganing mag-isip nang marami, na maraming gagawin sa game kasi lahat ng teammate mo magagaling. So sobrang saya ko.”

(And I don’t have to think about many things about the game since all of my teammates are good. I’m really happy.) – Rappler.com