New approach: Romeo drops gung-ho mentality for longevity

Terrence Romeo (right) will not force the issue anymore. —PBA Images

Terrence Romeo knows that at this stage of his career, going gung-ho every time to please the fans might be good for the team.

But it can also put his longevity in question.

“My goal now is learning how to last in playing this game,” the crafty Romeo, a three-time scoring champion in the PBA, said as he revealed a new approach to playing that would allow fans to see him more and for San Miguel Beer to make use of.

“I really want to finish the conference without getting injured,” he said as he was slowed down by a number of injuries in the past two seasons which greatly affected his potential to contribute more. “I remember during the bubble in Bacolor, I had three injuries.

“I was really bothered, so I thought of ways on how to go on playing without getting hurt.”

Ever the competitive player, Romeo almost always thought of things on a singular, almost cutthroat approach in the past. But he also realizes now that nursing ailments is making him more of a liability for the Beermen and their coaching staff.

And that irks him just as much.

“The more that I get to play, the more that I get to help my team, which is way better than being injured and resting,” he said.

Romeo says that forcing the issue is a thing of the past for him now, and that “I’m looking more for my teammates and trying to be more of a facilitator first.

“The last bubble tournaments have been really tough. I’ve been too intense,” he said. “On every possession, I go hard. I’ve been truly hard with my body.”

Doing the share-the-ball thing can work for San Miguel because of the abundance of talent in that team.

And Romeo knows this.

“I have teammates who can score with ease. We have a CJ Perez, a Marcio Lassiter and of course, June Mar Fajardo,” said Romeo.

“We’re [already] complete,” he added. “I just really want to finish this conference without getting injured.” INQ