Romeo a champ, finally

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

With his old-school style of isolation-heavy plays, Terrence Romeo didn’t look like he’d ever be a PBA champion.

That was until a career that swung wildly between highlight reels and controversial headlines took a major detour and wound up with the San Miguel Beermen.

When the Beermen nailed their fifth straight Philippine Cup crown after a nervy 72-71 Game 7 victory over gutsy Magnolia, Romeo got to relive celebrations from his younger days.

“I’ve only experienced becoming a champion in barangay tournaments. Since high school, college, and even in the D-League days, I haven’t been one,” he said.

Romeo, 27, had heard criticisms of how his game was the antithesis of winning systems in today’s basketball landscape.

“It got to me,” he said. “For three years, I’ve been the scoring champion. I kept on giving my best every conference. But semifinals is the farthest I’ve gone.”

Once he was shipped to the powerhouse Beermen though, the question was no longer whether he would become a PBA champ. The question was when.

And Romeo accelerated the process of being a champion by accepting a vastly diminished role with the Beermen.

“I was used to playing heavy minutes. I was used to plays being drawn up for me, that there’s a screen out there for my pick-and-roll. Here, it’s totally different thing,” Romeo said.

Satisfyingly different.

Romeo feels he’s done proving himself and, more importantly, done with letting his detractors get the best of him.

“Now that I’m a PBA champion, I just aspire to become much more mature,” he said.