Terrence Romeo+ Jayson Castro Tandem Analysis: The Good and the Bad

Photo by the PBA Media Bureau

You have to remember that Jayson Castro is a member of Gilas. And so is Terrence Romeo

While everyone else is hyped about seeing the backcourt duo of Terrence Romeo and Jayson Castro do their dance for the Talk N Text KaTropa once the PBA Commissioner's Cup kicks off this coming weekend, you all have to remember one thing: Gilas Pilipinas is scheduled to play against Australia and Chinese-Taipei this coming June as part of the FIBA World  Cup Asian Qualifiers. And this would mean problems for the KaTropa. Why?

With the country appearance in next year's FIBA World Cup in China at stake, the national team cannot afford not to play well, even so not to send the best team they could assemble. And that "best" team should include a healthy duo of Terrence Romeo and Jayson Castro. But the problem for TNT Head Coach Nash Racela is this: Romeo and Castro aren't the only players whom they will lose once Gilas starts preparing for those crucial games. Mind you, Troy Rosario and RR Pogoy played for the national team during the second window of the qualifiers so TNT can expect both Rosario and Pogoy to be called up for duty come June. 

And there's the Kelly Williams injury.

If ever, Nash Racela will lose 5 players all in all.

No Choice but to Adjust

The good news though, TNT can still enjoy having Terrence Romeo and Jayson Castro on the court starting this Sunday when the KaTropa faceoff against Romeo's former team, the Global Port Batang Pier. And the Gilas call-up will not happen until June so Nash Racela and the rest of the coaching staff will have the time to prepare to play undermanned. In addition to this, Nash Racela has already said that their main goal for the mid-season conference is to get better after each game and that includes playing with or without their stars. 

If you will remember back in the Philippine Cup, TNT almost missed the quarterfinals and yet they made it. They just didn't have enough manpower to overthrow a mighty San Miguel Beermen squad in the quarterfinals. Now with a Terrence Romeo- a 3-time scoring champion, the only ones who could beat TNT are probably themselves. 

Conclusion

At the end of the day, it will all go down to how willing the remaining players of the KaTropa to adjust once their stars are out for their respective duties for the national team. And of course, the adjustments that will be put in placed by Nash Racela himself.