(CNN Philippines) — “He’s a hell of a player.”
This was how GlobalPort Asian import Omar Krayem described his teammate Terrence Romeo in the aftermath of their Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup opener against the Meralco Bolts at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum on Tuesday (May 5).
Krayem arrived in the country five days ago. And in his first game in a Batang Pier uniform, he was impressed with his teammates but singled out Romeo.
“He got a big heart. I like playing with him. He makes my job easier,” said Krayem of Romeo, who finished with a tour-de-force performance of 27 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in GlobalPort’s 92-73 contest of the Bolts.
Read: Romeo scores 27 as GlobalPort downs Meralco in Govs’ Cup opener
Krayem also made a good account of himself with 18 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and a steal in Tuesday’s win.
Krayem said it was actually their first game together because GlobalPort didn’t play in any tuneup game prior to the season-ending conference.
But it hardly mattered.
After all, he made a formidable backcourt tandem with the ball-dominant Romeo in the absence of resting local point guard Stanley Pringle.
“A lot of people think we’re gonna bump heads but that guy is an amazing player,” the gung-ho Palestinian cager said.
“It’s all about winning. Good players can play together if they want to win.”
Also read: The Asian imports of the 2015 PBA Governors’ Cup
As for the physicality, Krayem said, “I enjoyed it.”
Overall, he is happy to be in the PBA and is looking forward to putting this woebegone franchise on the basketball map.
