IT was four years ago when Tab Baldwin told Dave Ildefonso, who left Ateneo for National University, to "rethink his decision."
He did. After two years with the Bulldogs, Ildefonso returned to the Blue Eagles, where he capped his college career with the UAAP Season 85 championship as Ateneo regained the title with a 2-1 series win over University of the Philippines.
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"When I was in NU, what were you telling me, coach? Remember that," Ildefonso told Baldwin, to which the mentor responded: "Who was right?"
Uneasy being tagged as one of the team leaders, Ildefonso sought Baldwin's guidance.
"I'm really like a new guy in this team siguro because the other guys have been here for more years. But I just took whatever coach Tab wanted for me, I just gave it all. I just did 100 percent and I'm a champion now," he said.
"I just want to tell all the athletes there, just follow what your coaches say and you'll end up successful, especially if this guy's your coach," he said, pointing to Baldwin.
Baldwin praised Ildefonso for all the hard work.
"Dave's story will never be told properly and I can't tell it. But everybody says, 'Oh, he didn't play well. Oh, he didn't score. Oh, he didn't shoot the ball well.' You know what he did well? Everybody who cared to look and who had any vision at all, he lets you see his heart. And it takes heart to win championships," Baldwin said.
Ildefonso turned from a go-to scorer to a reliable hand that kept the Blue Eagles running, from playmaking, grabbing rebounds, or just leading by example with his defense and grit.
Just take Game Three where he only had two points on 1-of-6 shooting in 22 minutes, but grabbed five rebounds in his collegiate swansong.
"Without Dave doing the dirty work that he did - believe me, it was killing him that he wasn't producing offensively and it was killing me," said Baldwin. "But he never let that affect what he did defensively, what he did on the boards, what he did in terms of hustle, what he did in terms of motivation and leadership."
And what did it make Ildefonso? A bona fide champion.
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