Gallent wants more from Romeo, Manuel

San Miguel Beer head coach Jorge Gallent is keeping his fingers crossed that Terrence Romeo and seldom-used Vic Manuel will continue to provide the energy and numbers off the bench with the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup finals nearing its climax.

Romeo made his best-of-seven championship debut after missing the first three outings while Manuel showed a glimpse of what he could do if given minutes in the Beermen’s 111-101 Game 4 win over Meralco Wednesday night that evened the series, 2-2.

“I talked to Terrence and Vic and said that if there’s a chance I can bring you inside, can you play at least 110 percent? And they did it. I’m very happy that they followed the instructions,” Gallent said.

However, Romeo is yet to get into full health after recovering from a calf injury he sustained in San Miguel’s semifinals sweep of Rain or Shine.

“We’re taking it day by day,” Gallent said of Romeo’s status.

The guard played for 18 and a half minutes to finish with seven points, three assists and a rebound to help the Beermen avoid having their backs against the wall.

“He just decided to play because he really wanted to help the team,” Gallent added.

“I’m very happy he has that mentality. He talked to me (Tuesday) and said: ‘I’m gonna try it.’ He said that in case I bring him inside, he’s gonna give his 110 percent, which he did.”

On the other hand, Manuel has been riding the bench for most of the all-Filipino conference with San Miguel stacked with capable big men in 10-time Best Player of the Conference June Mar Fajardo and Mo Tautuaa.

It didn’t help that he was out of commission for almost two weeks during the long break after the semis due to an unspecified illness.

“After the Rain or Shine series, he got sick. He didn’t practice, I think, for 10 to 12 days because he was feeling ill. He just stayed in his house,” Gallent said.

Fajardo, Tautuaa and Rodney Brondial have been the main pieces of San Miguel in its frontline rotation but Gallent tweaked it by inserting Manuel that caught the Bolts off guard.