Terrence Romeo insists injury is main reason for Gilas absence

Photo from Fiba.com

Amid all the questions about his absence, Terrence Romeo insisted that it was his nagging knee injury and not anything else that prevented him from joining Gilas Pilipinas in the to the 2019 Fiba World Cup.

Romeo, an integral piece of the national team, broke his silence and declared his support for his brothers hours before the Filipinos take on Japan in Tokyo.

The sly guard set the record straight in an Instagram post that his knee contusion was the main reason for his absence and that “no one else can stop me from playing for the country aside from my injury.”

Gusto ko lang po sagutin sa mga nag tatanong kung bakit hindi ako nakasama sa Gilas; injured po ako at kailangan ko mag pahinga at therapy. Gusto ko rin sabihin at ipaalam sainyo na wala pong makakapigil sakin sa pag lalaro para sa bayan maliban sa injury, at kay God. Alam po yan ng family ko at lahat ng taong nakakakilala sakin, malaki ang utang na loob ko sa ng Gilas dahil dito ako mas naging disiplinado at dito napabilis ang pag mamature ko sa basketball at dito rin na buo yung samahan namen, hindi lang bilang teammates kundi bilang mag kakaibigan, mag kakapatid at isang family na handang lumaban para sa isat isa. Ngayon mga brother hindi niyo man ako kasama lumaban dyan lagi kayo kasama sa mga dasal ko, yun lang muna maitutulong ko sa ngayon at kagaya ng sinabi ko kay Coach Chot nung nag paalam ako, hindi po ito yung huling pag kakataon na mag lalaro ako para sa bayan. Pag 100% na ako mag ta try out ulit ako at kung deserving parin ako by that time, buong PUSO parin ako na mag lalaro para sa bansa. Sa mga brothers ko, kuya at mga pre, alam ko napakahirap mag laro pag kalaban mo yung buong crowd. wala kayong ibang titingnan or papakinggan kundi ang coaches naten at kayong twelve na mag ti-teammates dahil kayo-kayo ang mag tutulungan(mag tulungan kayo),kumuha kayo ng lakas sa bawat isa at mag laro kayo para isat-isa higit sa lahat alay naten to sa lahat ng mga kababayan naten sumusuporta lalo na kay God🙏👆🏻😊 Goodluck guys!! Enjoy the game!!! Missyou guys!! God bless!!

A post shared by Terrence Bill Romeo (@tbvrome07) on Nov 23, 2017 at 8:30pm PST

He also credited the Gilas program for his growth as a player.

“My family and the people close to me knows that I’m indebted to Gilas because it’s here where I became disciplined, where I fast-tracked my maturity in basketball,” he said.

Romeo was in and out of training camp for the first leg of the Asian qualifiers before eventually missing the last few days of training.

Days before the team left for Japan, head coach Chot Reyes said he was still hopeful that Romeo could join the trip, but when it was clear that he was definitely out, he was not anymore included in the Final 12 for the game.

Romeo, though, vowed to the national team mentor that he’ll be back better than ever.

“Brothers, even though I’m not there fighting with you, you’re always part of my prayers. That’s all I can give right now and like what I told coach Chot when I excused myself, this is not the last time I’ll be playing for the nation. Once I’m 100-percent again, I’ll try out, and if I’m still deserving at that time, I’ll still give all my heart to play for the country,” he said.

Romeo is one of the biggest omissions from the national team in this first leg, as the speedy playmaker from FEU averaged 17.8 points, 3.0 assists, and 1.7 rebounds in the 2017 Fiba Asia Cup.

Without him, much of the playmaking and scoring load will fall on the shoulders of Jayson Castro, as well as substitutes Kiefer Ravena and Kevin Alas for the game against Japan.