On a team that is as deep as the San Miguel Beermen, it is easy for even the brightest of stars to become an afterthought, especially under the colossal shadow of June Mar Fajardo.

Terrence Romeo is no exception as the 32-year-old guard, who was once one of the most prolific scorers in the PBA, was given a bench role upon joining San Miguel in 2018. He initially thrived with the Beermen, winning the Finals Most Valuable Player award in the 2019 PBA Commissioner’s Cup–just his second with the team–before a spate of injuries began to hound him. 

Upon his return, it was initially challenging for Romeo to reclaim his spot in San Miguel’s rotation, but he has slowly worked his way back into this 2024 PBA Governor’s Cup. Though Romeo has been relatively quiet by his standards in this conference, heh as proved that he is still capable of taking over from time to time. 

In Game 2 of their ongoing best-of-seven semifinal series versus Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, Romeo came alive in the fourth quarter to lead the Beermen to a crucial 131-125 victory. The win tied the series at 1-1 and was especially crucial in the wake of San Miguel’s lethargic Game 1. 

Romeo put on a vintage performance down the stretch as he scored 22 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. His late-game heroics helped the Beermen stave off a furious rally from Ginebra who tried to claw back from a 13-point deficit. The seven-time PBA All-Star made all five of his three-point attempts and also his sole four-point shot of the game which was the go-ahead basket for the Beermen that gave them the lead for good, 121-117, with 2:06 left in overtime.

The hope is that this serves as a breakout game for Romeo and that he can regain the form that once made him a PBA Mythical First team member in only his third year in the league. With less than half a year remaining before longtime San Miguel guard Chris Ross turns 40 years old, Romeo has a clear opportunity for a major role with this team moving forward.

The Beermen will need Romeo to step up for the rest of this series against Ginebra if they are to have a chance to compete against their sister team. San Miguel has been quite lethargic in recent weeks, and this electrifying performance from Romeo was exactly the kind of jolt that they needed. 

This best-of-seven is still far from over and Romeo has a chance to reintroduce himself to the world under the brightest of lights that the PBA can offer.