Pido not surprised by Romeo’s big splash

MANILA, Philippines - Globalport coach Pido Jarencio said the other day he knew all along that Batang Pier guard Terrence Romeo would explode with Gilas and isn’t surprised that the former FEU star became the toast of the recent Jones Cup in Taipei.

Romeo, 23, was picked by Gilas coach Tab Baldwin to join the national pool from which 12 will be chosen to represent the country at the FIBA Asia Championships in Changsha, China, on Sept. 23-Oct. 3. He has played in two PBA seasons, averaging 12.4 points as rookie and a league-leading 19.7 this past campaign.

“I really expected Terrence to explode,” said Jarencio. “He’s a hard worker and a disciplined player. He has dedication and passion for the game. He’s the type of player who will excel with any team because he has the skills and the work ethic to succeed. With Gilas, he’s perfect for coach Tab’s dribble drive offense. He fits in the system. The international experience will make him even a better player. When he comes back to Globalport, Terrence will be much improved. He will be more mature.”

Jarencio said Romeo’s role with Globalport was basically to play the two-guard spot.

“With Gilas, Terrence is playing one and two,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for Terrence to show he can play multiple positions. With Globalport, we’re loaded in the backcourt and Terrence’s ability to play two positions will make it easier for us to rotate our guards.”

Jarencio said he realizes after Gilas, Romeo may not be ready to play at full throttle when the PBA opens on Oct. 18. “It’s a sacrifice,” he said. “The international game is very physical and exhausting. You practice in the morning then play games in the afternoon or evening, sometimes consecutively. There’s little time to rest. We saw that at the Jones Cup where our team played eight games straight. But on the upside, the experience is making Terrence a much better player, more mature and smarter.”

Jarencio said playing for the national team is an honor that Romeo would never turn down. “It’s a different feeling when you’re playing for your country,” said Jarencio. “I’ve experienced it myself. I was a reserve with the Philippine team when we won the Jones Cup in 1985 but I was in the 12-man lineup of the last national team to win the FIBA Asia title in Kuala Lumpur in 1986. It was the happiest and proudest moment of my basketball career when we won the FIBA Asia, then known as the ABC (Asian Basketball Confederation), championship with coach Ron Jacobs. I was one of the 12 to bring home a gold medal. My teammates were Hector Calma, Allan Caidic, Samboy Lim, Elmer Reyes, Yves Dignadice, Tonichi Yturri, Jerry Codinera, Alfie Almario, Franz Pumaren, Dennis Still and Jeff Moore. That was the last Philippine team to win an Asian basketball title. Not everybody gets a chance to play for your country so when you’re called, it’s an honor.”

Jarencio, who turned 51 last Saturday, said Globalport now has 17 players in training camp. “The maximum in a lineup is 15,” he said. “It’s hard to make cuts. At the moment, nothing is final. Everyone is fighting for a spot. We’ve strengthened our team and we want to improve on our showing last season. We’re lucky that our team owner Boss Mikee (Romero) is a former player who knows the game. He’s hands-on with us, he understands our needs and is a very positive influence. In the offseason, the one player he wanted to get was Joseph Yeo and we got him.”

Yeo isn’t the only veteran new to the team. Jay Washington returned to Globalport from Talk ‘N’ Text and Jervy Cruz came in via a trade with Rain Or Shine for Jewel Ponferada and a second round draft pick this year. Jonathan Uyloan was picked up after he was cut by the Elasto Painters. To make room, Globalport moved out Denok Miranda, Ponferada and Nard Pinto. From the recent draft, Globalport brought in Roi Sumang and Ryan Wetherell. Another pick Bong Galanza was released. A surprise find from the rookie free agent pool was Jose Rizal University’s Philip Paniamogan who was undrafted last year.

Back from last season’s roster are Romeo, Stanley Pringle, Ronjay Buenafe, Mark Isip, Anthony Semerad, Doug Kramer, Billy Mamaril, Keith Jensen, Prince Caperal, Paolo Taha and Marvin Hayes.

“I don’t want to make predictions as to how we’ll do this season,” said Jarencio. “Back in the UAAP, my approach was always one game at a time and that’s how I still am. In the last Governors Cup, we were No. 4 out of the eliminations and the comment was we overachieved. Too bad we ran into the Star Hotshots in the playoffs. This season, we want to make it to the quarterfinals then take it slow by slow. We don’t want to be a contender just on paper, we want to show it on the court.”

Trading for Cruz was a step to upgrade, said Jarencio. “We felt we couldn’t draft a big guy of Jervy’s quality in the second round so we traded for him but had to give up Ponferada who played well for us last season,” he continued. “Jervy was on the UST team that I coached to the UAAP title in 2006 and was the UAAP MVP in 2007. So he’s familiar with my style. When Jay Wash became available, we took the opportunity to grab him. Then, Uyloan became a free agent. He’s a big guard, very experienced with a good attitude.”

Sumang, Wetherell and Paniamogan are the rookies in camp. “We were shocked that Roi was still undrafted when it was our turn to pick in the third round,” said Jarencio. “It’s destiny that he came to us. No question, he has talent. But he’s raw and we know in the PBA, you’ve got to be rock-hard to survive. How far he goes in his career depends on himself. Paniamogan is a good shooter and we took him to General Santos to play in a pocket tournament to test him. Wetherell is another guard we’re trying out. Everyone has a chance to make the final 15. It’s up to the players to show they deserve to be in.”