Romeo still groping for form after bout with typhoid fever

IN HIS first game with his mother team, GlobalPort, Terrence Romeo was obviously groping for form, shooting only six-of-22 from the field in the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings’ 11396 rout of the Batang Pier. No question, Romeo is still far from game shape and he admitted it to sportswriters. “I still feel tired because I’m still trying to get my conditioning back,” Mr. Romeo said. “But at least, I’m back in action.” Mr. Romeo is coming off a bout with typhoid fever, an energy- zapping illness TERRENCE ROMEO that sidelined him for nearly two weeks. The high-scoring guard explained the difficulty of dealing with this.

“Typhoid fever. For awhile, I thought it’s a normal fever. But I’ve been sidelined by this illness for weeks. For one week, I was in a dextrose. A week after, I was advised to rest, so I didn’t get a chance to grab a basketball.”

After being idle for weeks, it was obvious that Mr. Romeo is still way ahead from full recovery — from game shape and physical conditioning.

“I can’t force myself to get my condition back quickly,” he added. “Everyday, I’m still trying to build up my stamina. I have to work on my drills gradually. I can’t do it all out because I am not fully recovered yet.”

Mr. Romeo believes he’s still far from regaining his tip- top condition, but happy that he’s now being able to play not just for his mother squad, but also for Gilas Pilipinas. On Monday, the spitfire guard joined the national team pool.

“I’m still far from it in terms of conditioning. I’m back to zero. I still have a lot of things to recover, including my stamina and my body strength,” he added.

In the national pool, Mr. Romeo was introduced to the basics of the system being used by Coach Chot Reyes and the young guard is excited to be part of the pool even when he has just joined the practice.

“It’s a dream come true for me, to be part of the Gilas practice and be under the tutelage of Coach Chot. We’re not yet running the plays, but all these things, the basics needed for the play, are part of our preparation in running the dribble drive,” he added. —