Shaun Ildefonso appears to be getting the hang of Yeng Guiao's everybody-eats system.
The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters have had quite the PBA On Tour, and on Friday, they notched their fifth win of the preseason by blasting the Converge FiberXers, 127-110, at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
The nearly wire-to-wire win was impressive in of itself, but the way Rain or Shine did it was even more impressive: It beat Converge in its own game, outrunning, outgunning, and outshooting the run-and-gun FiberXers practically all game long.
That should be expected, according to Shaun Ildefonso, who was one of six Rain or Shine players to score in double digits. The former NU Bulldog scored 19 markers for the game, including 11 in the opening frame to set the tone for the Elasto Painters, which also got 20 points from Anton Asistio and 17 from Rey Nambatac.
“We’re a relatively very young team, and Coach Yeng [Guiao] always emphasizes that we have to rely more on our speed,” said Ildefonso in the post-game interview. “I really think that’s gonna be a big factor when it comes to going up against the more talented teams, the much bigger teams.”
Aside from speed, self-belief will also be crucial if the Elasto Painters are to translate their fine preseason play onto Season 48, which is set to unfurl on October.
“Araw-araw, sinasabi lang ni Coach Yeng, ‘Have confidence in yourselves,’ and I really believe that confidence, not just in basketball but in life, is really the X-factor talaga.”
In that case, Ildefonso is certainly in the right team, as Guiao is known for instilling supreme confidence in his wards.
And it looks like he is doing exactly that with these young Elasto Painters.