Rising stars from the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters Adrian Nocum and Shaun Ildefonso brought their vibrant personalities outside the hardcourt and shared it to the St. Dominic College of Asia community when they guested in ‘Kulay At Tibay Ng Dominikano’, a painting project supported by Rain or Shine, the mother squad of these two up and coming stars, in cooperation with the organizing Association of Dominican Communicators and BA Communication.
Nocum and Ildefonso represented the Elasto Painters, who had been a staunch supporter of the SDCA programs.
The two players took part in the ceremonial mural painting at the One Asia Heritage of the SDCA Campus where they joined some of the participants of the Poster and Slogan-Making Contests headed by co-champions Brailley del Rosario, a student from Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, and Angelica Tejada, a BS Education student.
These winners were helped out as well by BMMA students Yunilah Shinatamaru Rodriguez, third placer in the recent Poster-Making Contest, and Lance Kyruz Benedicto.
Also present during the ceremonial painting were Ms. Grace Demetillo, head of the Student Affairs Service, Dr. Richardson Mojica, program chair of BA Communication, and Building Administration Office head Louie Rabia.
Nocum and Ildefonso also helped out in presenting the awards to the winners of the said contests,
The much-awaited part, however, came during the Q and A also arranged by the BA Communication students with Alleli Dogayo and Sheny Mae Samillano serving as program hosts.
During the press conference, Ildefonso and Nocum shared their basketball journeys and how they relished the golden opportunity of becoming PBA players.
“The moment I was born, I believe there was always pressure for us because of my name,” said Ildefonso, a second generation cager, and one of the sons of two-time PBA Most Valuable Player and one of the league’s all-time greatest players Danny Ildefonso.
“If you do a good job, people would always say something, all the more when you didn’t perform. People will always have something to say and that’s the bad thing about it,” said Ildefonso. “No matter what you say or do, they will always have something to say or make an issue about it.”
Ildefonso believes his dad throws a big shadow on him and his younger brother, Dave, who is now playing well in the MPBL, after spending a few years playing in the Korean Basketball League, but for Shaun, being able to continue playing in the PBA is an indication that he was able to exceed his own expectations.
“I didn’t expect that I would make it this far. I’m not as talented as the other players, but you develop your confidence based on your mindset, how you worked hard and prepared for it,” added Ildefonso. “Now I’ve been playing in the PBA for two years under a coach who gives everybody an opportunity to perform and push you to your limits.”
Nocum, on the other hand, is one of those success stories in the PBA.
Probably regraded as one of the biggest steals in the Rookie Draft, he became an instant sensation for the Elasto Painters where he is now among the stalwarts of this young squad coached by veteran bench tactician Yeng Guiao.
The boy from Tondo has definitely became one of the standouts in the big men’s game and his humble beginnings had truly inspired him to what he is now — a young star in Asia’s pioneering professional basketball league.
“I grew up in Tondo. I have humble beginnings. Once, I was really dreaming to become a policeman and enter the academy,” added Nocum. “My aunt was a police official and I asked her the possibility of joining the academy, but then again, she persuaded me to take a different career path.”
“It was in the NCAA with Mapua where I took a serious thought about making a career in basketball. Since then, I was given opportunity one after another and now as I look back, I’ve realized how far I have gone through as each time I’ll go back to where I came from in Tondo, people would reach out to me and tell me how I was able to inspire them. It was probably thew most rewarding feeling.”
If there was one most valuable lesson both Ildefonso and Nocum shared, it’s the fact that everybody regardless of what school you came from, could become a PBA player.
“Probably the most classic example was Jhonard Clarito, our teammate at Rain or Shine. He came from a non-UAAP, non-NCAA school. Galing siya sa De Ocampo Memorial College na naglalarop sa NAASCU and look where he is now? He is the reigning Most Improved Player in the PBA,” said Nocum.
