Unfinished business brings Romeo Travis back to the PBA

Romeo Travis had a memorable first stint in the PBA despite its bittersweet ending.

Travis’ previous foray into the Philippines saw him win the Best Import award in the 2015 Governors’ Cup while still with Alaska but failed to lead his team in the finals against San Miguel.

This mixture of accomplishment and defeat was what made Travis return to the Philippines and play for Alaska, but that never happened.

“I wanted to come back with Alaska to be honest,” said Travis Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum after his new team Magnolia beat NLEX 102-72 in the Governors’ Cup.

“But for two years they chose someone else when I was available, but now I was free and I got to choose any team.”

Travis said Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero gave him a call to join the Hotshots and he immediately jumped at the opportunity.

“It was a good situation and I looked at the roster, I looked at the conference with the All-Filipinos, they went to the finals, they showed that they have good players, and that is why I wanted to come back.”

Travis, who put up 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds, is now a naturalized citizen of the Republic of Macedonia, which will help him get playing contracts in Europe but the 2015 championship loss to San Miguel still left him with a void.

“The way we finished, when I was with Alaska in 2015, that stuck with me for many years,” said Travis. “I didn’t play well when my team needed me the most and that’s pretty much why we lost.”