Why me?

Terrence Romeo questioned the timing of his season-ending shoulder injury as San Miguel defends the PBA Philippine Cup title it won in the last 5 seasons without two of its best players.

Already without six-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo, San Miguel suffered a major blow in its title-retention bid after losing Romeo, who sustained an acromioclavicular joint separation in their loss to TNT.

Romeo already left the bubble in Clark, Pampanga, and is expected to be out for 8 to 10 weeks, according to San Miguel team manager Gee Abanilla.

“During that incident, I waited for him after the hospital [checkup] and I talked to him for about an hour because he was crying,” said head coach Leo Austria in a mix of Filipino and English.

“His biggest question was, ‘Coach, why did this happen to me of all people? I’m the most conditioned player in the team.'”

Austria is a witness to how hard Romeo worked in the bubble to be in tiptop shape, saying the flamboyant guard hit the gym even during their day off.

“You can see his work ethic. I thought he will have a breakout game in this tournament,” Austria said about Romeo, who normed 13.7 points and 3.3 assists in 3 games before his injury.

“He had a mission. He wanted to help the team and his teammates recognized that,” Austria added.

San Miguel had Romeo in mind as it ended its two-game losing streak with a 105-98 win over Terrafirma for its first victory in the PBA bubble.

“We’re praying for you. Everybody is missing you,” Austria said. “But we cannot do anything about that, so we will just pray for you.”

San Miguel currently sits at 6th place with a 2-2 record. – Rappler.com