Baldwin praises Ildefonso for humbling self in return to Eagles’ nest

MANILA, Philippines – Back in UAAP Season 81 in 2018, Tab Baldwin and Dave Ildefonso tangled up in a brief verbal tussle after the multi-titled tactician told the second-generation star to “rethink his decision” of leaving Ateneo in favor of the NU seniors team.

Ildefonso fired back, and said that he stood with his decision to lead the Bulldogs alongside his brother Shaun and father-slash-coach Danny, before both sides spent the next year with good, old healthy on-court competition.

Fast forward to the present, and both Baldwin and Ildefonso sat side-by-side, wore the same colors, and exchanged laughs and banter as the Ateneo Blue Eagles started off their four-peat title bid with a 90-81 win over the UP Fighting Maroons.

Once a special target of Baldwin’s systemic defenses, Ildefonso has now stepped in as a go-to scorer in a game where the Eagles led by as many as 20 over a fellow contender in UP.

“The whole process with Dave has been much more of a delight, and much easier than I anticipated it will be, and he gets the entire credit for that,” Baldwin said after the game. “He came in very humble, and he didn’t have to. Dave has a big name in the game, and they’ve performed very well with him in NU.”

“He came in very humble. He came in with his own specific goals and objectives to make sure that the efforts that he had made the team better, and I’ve never, ever had to redress that with Dave once.”

Before their final score against UP got deceivingly close, the Eagles were flying high with Ildefonso swishing bucket after bucket, including three-pointers, step-back jumpers, and silky fadeaway moves.

“I’m one of the fortunate players who have been under coach Tab with Gilas [Pilipinas],” Ildefonso said. “Just being under coach Tab during the [bubble] made me understand the system much more. It’s a really great system to be in, and I’m just at a loss for words with it.”

Now with Ateneo riding a 27-game winning streak dating back to October 11, 2018, Baldwin hopes his foe-turned-focal point can continue growing on and off the court while keeping the tradition of domination alive and well.

“God willing, it is, in the end, a good decision for him, and his future, and you know, we certainly believe that it is,” he continued.

“I don’t see any roadblocks for him so his performance today, I think, is a great start for him as a Blue Eagle. We hope there are many more like it.” – Rappler.com