By REYNALD MAGALLON
It was a moment that Shaun Ildefonso repeatedly played over his head before finally getting the chance to do it during the game.
The second-year player soared for a one-handed throw down before paying homage to his father and PBA great Danny Ildefonso with a very much familiar “raise-the-roof” celebration – an emphatic way to cap a dominant 120-104 victory of Rain or Shine over NLEX.
It was the younger Ildefonso’s first dunk in the PBA, right in the game where he was also hailed as the Player of the Game after providing the boundless energy for the Elasto Painters who formally booked a spot to the quarterfinals with the big win.
“Every day I’ve been planning that scenario in my head, gusto kong maka-jump, first dunk ko in the PBA. Thank God na nangyari ito,” said Ildefonso, who remained ecstatic over the dunk even during the post-game press conference.
More than the highlight dunk, Ildefonso, more importantly, displayed the vast improvement to his game especially when he was forced to transition to playing as guard to adapt to the big league after spending most of his time as a forward during his amateur years.
He finished with 14 points, spiked by two triples along with three boards.
“Malaking improvement ni Shaun minsan kinakausap ko siya sinasbaihan ko kung ano pa kailangan ng game niya. Masipag ito eh. Yung energy nito boundless parating hyper. Contagious yung energy nya natutuwa kami kasi very exuberant yung personality nito,” ROS head coach Yeng Guiao said about his sophomore guard.
Even with the improved play, Ildefonso said he doesn’t really expect himself to step out of the giant shadows of his more celebrated father, more so, reach the same pedestal he achieved in the PBA.
The 26-year-old guard, however, stressed that he only wants to improve and prove his worth.
“Comparison will always be there,” he said. “My brother is in the KBL, ako no one really rooted for me. When I came into the draft expect to be late second round but parang from that day everything changed I saw it to myself as a challenge to keep getting better everyday.”
“I’ll never achieve what my dad achieved. Set in stone na iyon. Pero, every time I’m on the court bigyan lang ako ngchance ni coach, I’m just there to represent myself, him and my family to the best way that I can,” he added.
