PBA: Danny Ildefonso - The last of the San Miguel Beermen

Danny Ildefonso walked into the Summit Wellness Center in Ortigas on a Wednesday afternoon for his daily dose of treatment. Yesterday, he stayed here for seven hours to continue the rehabilitation of his shoulder. Now he's scheduled to be here for five hours to treat his hamstring. At 36-years of age, Ildefonso knows that he is already facing the sunset of basketball his career. He undergoes daily treatment to prepare his body for the the last stretch, for his final push before he closes the book on his PBA career.

Offseasons used to be all about getting better for Ildefonso, all about adding new facets to his game. But in the past few years, this time has been devoted to therapy. The 36-year-old player was greeted by everyone as he entered the therapy area. His bed, located at the center of the room, was neatly prepared awaiting his arrival.

“Okay naman ako physically,” Ildefonso explained. “Bale itong ginagawa ko, strengthening na lang. Wala naman akong injury. Kaya ko namang maglaro.”

He played sparingly in the 2013 Governors' Cup, but he continues to undergo treatment to stay ready for the chance to play again.

Before game seven of the conference finals with his Petron Blaze Boosters facing the San Mig Coffee Mixers, Danny Ildefonso walked out of the dugout before all of his teammates did. The Smart-Araneta Coliseum was largely silent; only half the lights were turned on.

In the first six games of the series, out of 1,200 possible minutes for Petron, Ildefonso had barely five on the floor. He saw four minutes and change in their game three drubbing of the Mixers and a few seconds in their close game six victory. In two games, Ildefonso failed to score or grab a rebound. He missed his single shot attempt. Being the good soldier that he is, Ildefonso still made it a point to warm up even if he most likely wouldn't see action that night. He picked up a ball from the pile and jumped for a layup.

Two years ago also during that season's Governors’ Cup Finals, Ildefonso was a vital part of his squad's rotation. In game one of their series against the grand slam chasing Talk ‘N Text squad, Ildefonso tag-teamed with Arwind Santos to trap Larry Fonacier. Santos poked the ball out and Ildefonso scored on a fast break layup for an 87-86 lead.

Now he can only dream of being in the same position. He walked to the baseline, two steps inside the three-point line. Ildefonso dribbled once and let loose a jump shot. The first one was short; the ball bounced right back to him. The second rattled inside the rim before deciding to go out. He got the ball again but this time he calmed himself down and searched for his old form.

Down 88-87 with game one in the balance, the ball found its way to Ildefonso’s capable hands.

Danny I. for the win... YES SIR! Ildefonso swished a buzzer-beating baseline jumper to give his team the victory.

That moment must have felt like an eternity ago for Ildefonso. Winning felt so long ago. The San Miguel Beermen felt so long ago.

 
 

Here on the empty floor Ildefonso can take as many shots as he wants. No need for playing time. No need to take shots away from the younger Boosters. His layups and jump shots then weren’t unlike his shots now. Same form. Same result. The only difference was that two years ago, Ildefonso had the chance to do this during the game. Now he only gets to do it under dimmed lights, with no one cheering, when it doesn’t count, when it doesn’t matter.

“Hindi na mahirap i-accept yung position ko ngayon as role player kasi tumatanda na rin tayo at mas importante naman talaga sa akin na manalo yung team kesa yung personal glory,” Ildefonso explained. “Suwerte na rin ako kasi dapat nga di na ako naglalaro ng basketball ngayon e.”

Back in 2009, Ildefonso suffered a severe leg injury. He flew to the United States for treatment where he was told to retire from the sport altogether. Yet four years after that, Ildefonso is still trudging along, waiting for another taste of victory before he finally calls it a career.

“Hanggang ngayon nasa akin pa yung sulat na yun, nung sinabi nung doctor sa akin na hindi na ako pwedeng maglaro ng basketball,” he shared. “Pero kalakasan ko pa noon kaya nagsikap talaga ako na makabalik.”

With game seven still an hour away, Ildefonso continued shooting by himself. The ball boy did nothing else but to pass the rock back to the two-time PBA Most Valuable Player. If you can somehow forget what year it is, Ildefonso’s movement, his confidence, and his stroke, might make you think it was 13 years ago. But his alone time prior to the game’s tipoff did not last long. Jason Deutchman, Magi Sison, and Mark Isip soon joined Ildefonso. Not too long ago, Ildefonso was alongside the likes of Olsen Racela, Danny Seigle, and Freddie Abuda. Not too long ago he was wearing San Miguel’s proud red and white. Now he’s with new faces wearing a still-unfamiliar blue and white.

After being briefly known as the Magnolia Beverage Masters, the proud franchise went back to being called the San Miguel Beermen. They changed to it to Petron Blaze and won the 2011 PBA Governors’ Cup title. They haven’t won a championship since.
 
“Well, iba talaga yung San Miguel Beermen eh. Malungkot kasi dun ako nakilala sa SMB, dun kami nag-champion. Tapos ang ganda nung samahan namin e. Andun lahat nung magagandang alaala. Kung ako lang ang may desisyon, ibabalik ko yung San Miguel,” Ildefonso said. “Dati marinig lang ng ibang players na San Miguel yung kalaban nila, alam na nila agad na mahihirapan silang manalo. Ngayon hindi pa nila masyadong nirerespeto yung Petron.”

Their Finals opponents, the San Mig Coffee Mixers, also underwent name changes. From being called the Purefoods TJ Hotdogs, they became the B-Meg Llamados before changing it up again to their current name. But they somehow managed to keep almost all of their fans, something that Ildefonso thinks his franchise failed to do.

“Meron talagang di na nakasunod. Yung mga fans naming mangiinom, nawala na,” he japed to mask an unpopular truth. “Dati pag lumalabas pa lang kami sa dugout, iba yung dagundong nung fans, lalo na pag championship. Dominante talaga yung fans namin noon maliban na lang sa Ginebra. Ngayon, pagpasok namin, thirty percent lang ata nung crowd yung sa amin. Karamihan nung nanuod nung Finals sa San Mig talaga.”

“Maibabalik lang namin yung dami ng fans namin dati kung magpapanalo kami ulit, kung mag-champion kami ulit. Pangalawa, kung makita ng fans sa players yung magandang samahan, yung samahan tulad nung sa San Miguel.”

 
 

The Petron Blaze Boosters had the perfect opportunity to do exactly that in the Finals. The title was theirs to lose. After being invincible in the eliminations, the Boosters started to crack in their series against the Mixers. They won most of the individual awards but the ultimate prize slipped from their hands. Ildefonso, an afterthought in the rotation, could do nothing but watch on the sides.

“Naiiyak ako sa frustration sa upuan. Alam ko kasi kung paano bantayan si Ping [Marc Pingris],” Ildefonso shared. “Alam ko rin na ang basketball hindi lang scoring. Dapat alam mo rin kung paano tulungang maka-score yung teammates mo. Nung simula pa, gusto ko masaya yung teammates ko. So yun palagi yung mentality ko pag naglalaro. Tapos nung nag-MVP ako ng dalawang beses, naisip ko na hindi ko na kailangang i-prove yung sarili ko. Basta gusto ko na lang na manalo, mag-champion.”

With minutes remaining in game seven, Ildefonso realized that they lacked the championship experience their opponents had. “Dun sa fourth quarter, mga seven minutes na lang sa game, parang si June Mar [Fajardo] na lang at si [Elijah] Millsap yung lumaban. Umabot ako sa point na ginusto kong pumasok nang di nagpapaalam,” he said. “Pero hindi ko rin ginawa kasi respeto na lang sa coaches ko at respeto sa role ko sa team.”

Ildefonso could do nothing else but look on as the Mixers celebrated on the floor. Their big three of Pingris, James Yap, and PJ Simon raised the trophy together like how they did after winning their first championship back in 2006. Ildefonso, on the other hand is the only remnant of triumphant years for his franchise, a team that has been steadily changing throughout the years.

The drastic changes started in 2011 when Danny Seigle and Dondon Hontiveros, two players who were Beermen for a decade, were packaged with Dorian Pena and Paul Artadi and shipped to the Air21 Express for Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Nonoy Baclao, and Rey Guevarra, the top three picks of the 2010 PBA Draft.

“Sobrang nainis ako sa trade na yun kasi akala ko dati kapag loyal ka, secured ka. Sabi pa nga nila, 'samahang walang katulad,'” Ildefonso recalled. “Yung tao naging loyal, binigay lahat ni Danny [Seigle] sa team, pero na-trade rin siya.”

“Yun yung hirap sa amin ngayon,” he continued. “Sa bali-balita lang namin nalalaman. Dati, two to three weeks bago mangyari yung trade, kakausapin na kami na may mangyayari. Ngayon sa ibang tao mo pa malalaman. Tapos alam na nga ng sambayanan, pero dine-deny pa rin nila. Yung masakit pa dun, yung mga kinuha namin para sa kanya binitawan rin. Okay lang sana kung nandun pa sila e, pero di rin nagtagal kaya sayang lang yung pag-trade kay Danny.”

The changes continued earlier this year when Olsen Racela was fired from the head coaching position after 16 years of loyalty to the franchise.

“Yun ang pinakamasakit sa lahat. Yung kay Olsen nalaman ko rin sa ibang tao,” Ildefonso said. “Yung team na hinawakan ni Olsen di naman maayos e. Kung di rin nagloko si [Renaldo] Balkman, sigurado kami sa Finals. Si Olsen ang tagal nag-serbisyo sa San Miguel, pag naglaro, all out, yung puso niya nasa team talaga, pero di siya pinagbigyan, nahusgahan siya agad.”

This change was especially painful for Ildefonso as he knows that Racela was one of the biggest reason for his success. “Si Olsen ang bumago ng buhay namin. Di ko mararating yung mga nagawa ko sa PBA kundi dahil kay Olsen,” he said, pausing quickly afterwards.

“Masakit para sa akin kasi di ko siya natulungan,” he continued, his voice cracking. “Wala ako masyadong nalaro nung kinailangan ako ni Olsen. Yung mga natulong ni Olsen sa akin, di ko nasauli sa kanya.”

Before Ildefonso and Racela parted ways, they shared a hug to serve as a lesson on what samahang walang katulad looked like. During that short moment, Ildefonso’s tears served as his final act of defiance towards the abrupt ending to their relationship.

“Pinipilit kong pigilan yung sarili ko na umiyak,” he shared. “Pero di napigilan. Hinampas hampas ko siya sa dibdib. Dun ko na lang nilabas yung sama ng loob ko sa management sa nangyari.”

 
 

Racela and Ildefonso won so many championships together. But for this one, they sat on opposite benches. After losing game seven, the first thing Ildefonso did was look for his former tag-team partner. “After nung game, nilapitan ko siya. Sabi ko ‘Pre, mas deserving kayong mag-champion. Para sa iyo yan.’ Alam kong di lang niya malabas, pero siguro iniisip niya, ‘buti nga sa inyo,’” Ildefonso said with a chuckle.

“Wala na akong gustong ma-achieve personally,” Ildefonso added. “Gusto ko lang maging graceful na lang yung exit ko. Gusto kong maglaro hanggang 38 na ako, pero gusto ko yung nakakatulong pa rin, hindi yung nakaupo lang. Sana lang ibalik nila yung samahan dati. Sana yung management, i-trust yung coaching staff at hayaan nila yung coaches na mamili ng players na gusto nila.”

A lot has changed during Ildefonso’s 15 years with the franchise. Yet, after everything that happened, Ildefonso is not ready to give up his pipe dream; that someday he will be reunited Seigle and Racela, that someday they’ll win championships again, not as players but still a part of the same organization.

“Yun ang plano ni Olsen dati e. Magsasama-sama kaming tatlo pero as coaching staff na niya, he said. “Ang saya siguro ng fans namin kung nangyari yun.”

Danny Ildefonso still has not signed a contract but he’ll surely stay with this team. As June Mar Fajardo’s mentor. As the team’s kuya. As a reminder of the better times, of the championships and the success. A reminder of what once was 'samahang walang katulad.'

He will hold their hands until they learn how to cross the street. He’ll have their backs until they’re strong enough to face the bullies on their own. Until that time, Danny Ildefonso will stick with this team that once was his.

He knows that the possibility of reviving the San Miguel Beermen is dim at best. With his last few conferences with Petron, his aim is to remind them of past greatness in hopes of helping them start their own.

“Wala na akong jersey ng Magnolia, pinamigay ko na lahat. Kahit yung Petron pinamimigay ko rin kasi gusto ko lang matira yung mga nag-champion,” he closed. “Sana bago matapos yung career ko, may isa pang jersey na madagdag sa collection ko.” - AMD, GMA News