‘Handsome’ Ildefonso a good player, bad fit for Sonicboom – coach
Photo source: KBL, Suwon KT Sonicboom
Following his team’s EASL season-opening victory over the San Miguel Beermen, Suwon KT Sonicboom head coach Song Young-jin provided context on why things didn’t work out between their squad and Filipino basketball player Dave Ildefonso.
“First of all, Dave is a really handsome guy,” the head coach was quoted by his translator in the post-game press conference when queried about the relationship by the press.
“But honestly we tried to help him a lot, tried to let him adjust to the team, [and] we gave him a lot of opportunities – he stayed two seasons – [in] the following season, he didn’t capitalize off of those opportunities.”
Ildefonso didn’t look like the noteworthy player he was in the UAAP once he joined the KBL, playing few minutes and providing minimal production for the runner-up of the 2023-2024 KBL season.
He was ultimately replaced by another Filipino player, Dalph Panopio, who was also ultimately released by Sonicboom.
“He was a good player,” Song Young-jin said about Ildefonso, “but he wasn’t really a good fit for our team.”
After his KBL stint, the former NU Bulldog and Ateneo Blue Eagle was selected in the first round by NorthPort in the 2024 PBA Draft. The second-generation star, however, has yet to sign with the PBA team that holds his rights and is currently not playing professional basketball.
