For love of country: How helping PHI hoops' growth played a factor in Dave Ildefonso's Korea move

MANILA (Philippines) - Fear was among the bevy of emotions Dave Ildefonso felt upon receiving an offer to play basketball professionally thousands of miles away from home, but still sensed that it would be the best decision he'll ever make.

So, it became easy for him to pack his bags and take his talents to South Korea to join Suwon KT Sonicboom of the Korean Basketball League (KBL).

"When the opportunity to play in Korea opened itself up to me, I was overwhelmed with mixed emotions -- excitement, fear," he wrote in a lengthy yet heartfelt Instagram post a day after being officially welcomed by the club.

"But that is a healthy fear. It is the kind of fear that, when you overcome it, will make you better and stronger. So I asked myself what's best not just for me but for my family and people around me."

"That is when the decision became easier to make. I decided to take the challenge of playing in Korea," added the 22-year-old.

Ildefonso also knew that playing abroad will be beneficial in Philippine basketball's development with him and a generation of Filipino hoopers -- who could be called pioneers in their own right -- helping out through their experiences.

"A wise person once said that the things you do for yourself die with you, but the things you do for others live on," the 1.87 (6'2") guard wrote.

He joins a growing list of Philippine players to take their act on foreign soil, a recurring trend kick-started by Thirdy Ravena back in 2020 when he signed with San-en NeoPhoenix of the Japan B.LEAGUE under the Asian Player Quota.

In the KBL alone, he's the sixth Filipino to play as an import after RJ Abarrientos, SJ Belangel, Rhenz Abando, Justin Gutang, and Ethan Alvano.

And just like most of his contemporaries aforementioned, the son of PBA great Danny Ildefonso sure knows a thing or two about the international game.

He first suited up for Gilas Pilipinas' youth team in 2015, gradually emerging as a key piece of the program to becoming one of the team's stars in the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2019 in Heraklion, Greece.

Two years later, Ildefonso would find himself being part of the seniors' side then handled by coach Tab Baldwin for the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.

Now, he's about to represent the Three Stars and the Sun once more, albeit with a somehow bigger responsibility -- of constantly proving that Filipino players really belong globally, and in helping the game grow even better back home.

"It will be great for both our national basketball program and our professional league for young guys like me to experience first-hand the basketball culture of other countries, and eventually share that knowledge back home," he said.

As he embarks on a new journey ahead, Ildefonso is excited to display his wares and show that Filipinos can ball out with the best out there.

"It will be great for basketball fans too, they can watch as we try to prove we can play with the best in our continent," he said.

FIBA