There aren’t any better players for Shaun Ildefonso to emulate in his ongoing positional shift than two of Coach Yeng Guiao’s former protégés.
Paul Lee and Jericho Cruz are among the players that the Rain or Shine youngster is learning from now that he’s being groomed to become a point guard, addressing the team’s need for size and depth in that position.
It was actually the Magnolia star whom he spoke to first, said Ildefonso, about that plan, as the former learned about it from the champion mentor himself.
“Ang una kong kinausap tungkol dito si kuya Paul Lee. Kasi siyempre, dati siya ang player ni Coach Yeng,” he said. “And I think napag-usapan nila noon, sa All-Star ata, na plano ni Coach Yeng. Sinabi niya sa akin ‘yun. Kwinento niya.
So, he took the time to ask for pointers and received plenty.
“Sinasabi lang nila kumpyansa. And you have to be smart. Kasi kahit ‘di ka ganoon ka-talented o skilled, basta matalino ka, okay ka eh. I really rely on that,” he said.
As he’s picked the brains of the three-time champion, Ildefonso is trying to pattern his game after Cruz’s style of play as a big two-guard.
“Kasi he can be a two-guard. Malaki siya eh. May shooting din,” offered the 25-year-old, who stands 6-foot-2. “So, I try to emulate him as much as possible. Idol ko rin ‘yan si Kuya Jericho kaya pinapanood ko rin siya.”
The transition isn’t easy, he admitted, especially after playing as a forward from his Ateneo Blue Eaglets days all the way to his years with the NU Bulldogs.
“It’s just a whole different experience for me kasi laro ko nung high school hanggang college, kuwatro ako,” he said.
But it’s not totally new to him. He actually began playing the guard spot more during his final year in Jhocson under coach Jeff Napa. He knew, too, that sharpening his guard skills would come in handy in the pros.
“Nagsimula lang ako playing as a guard, last year ko kay Coach Jeff. And when I reached the pros, sabi ko I think mas tatagal ako sa PBA if I trained the guard skills more,” he said.
“‘Yun nga, araw-araw, tinatrabaho ko ‘yun, pare,” he continued as he works out with Patrick Tancioco’s Better Basketball PH.
“Sabi naman ng tatay ko — actually dati ko pa sinabi sa kanya na plano ni Coach Yeng na gawin akong point guard, sabi niya kumpyansa lang daw sa dribble.”
If anything, the ongoing PBA On Tour has shown how much the 2022 ninth overall pick has progressed in that ‘experiment’ by Guiao and Co.
Friday night saw RoS maul Converge with a 127-110 result, and Ildefonso himself had a big hand in it. He led the way with 19 points, including six in the final frame as he helped ward off their foes’ late-game comeback attempt.
“If there’s a chance, kamukha kanina, ‘yung endgame meyo naghahabol ‘yung kalaban, sinubukan ko siyang magdala ng bola, gumawa ng decision at the point guard position,” said Guiao after the game at the Ynares Sports Arena.
“We’re trying to broaden his skill set to include playing the point just in case we need a bigger point guard dahil pinagpapalit ko lang sa point guard ‘yung dalawang maliit,” he added, referring to Andrei Caracut and Anton Asistio.
It was his decision-making in tight situations that was noticeable, and the fiery mentor likes what he’s seeing from him thus far.
“Maganda naman. Actually tinignan ko nga kanina kung mauubos ‘yung lamang namin nung siya ‘yung point e. Hindi naman,” he said with a grin.
Ildefonso is glad about how he’s been delivering, but he refuses to settle, insisting that there remains plenty of work to be done in the change.
“Okay naman. Definitely, there’s still a lot to learn,” he said. “As much as possible sa practice, ako mismo tinatanong ko, ‘Uy, kailangan ko na ba mag-point?’ I work on it — extra shooting, extra dribbling.
“Dati puro PS5 ako, laro lang ako nang laro. Ngayon, nanonood na ako ng mga clips,” he added. “It’s a process, and excited ako kasi naniniwala ako may mga players talaga, mga late bloomers eh. Sa pros lang sila umangat.
“‘Yun ang mindset ko ngayon. Mina-manifest ko, and in the same way, I also work out for it,” he added. “So far, okay naman pero kulang pa. Alam ko kulang pa. As much as possible, kahit pre-season lang, piniga ko. Trabaho lang.”
