Gilas Cadet Troy Rosario. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
Practice ended at exactly 10 in the evening.
Maintenance personnel turned off the air-conditioning system inside Meralco Gym and the veterans found their spots around the court to relax after a two-hour practice session for the Gilas Pilipinas.
Several others, like Jimmy Alapag, Gabe Norwood, Gary David and JC Intal kept on shooting together with ball boys.
Another imposing figure stayed on the court to practice his shooting, this one hasn’t even played a single minute of PBA basketball and his matching the veterans’ efforts shot by shot.
Catch, shoot. Troy Rosario matched the veterans’ efforts shot per shot.
As other old-timers like Alapag and Norwood finally settled down, Rosario has kept on shooting inside the slowly-warming gymnasium.
It kept on for a good 10 minutes as he practiced with one of Gilas’ personnel who kept rebounding and passing him the ball.
Rosario has entered the Gatorade PBA Draft and is expected to be a franchise-changer as a probable first or second overall pick after a brilliant end to his college career as he helped lead the National University Bulldogs to its first UAAP Basketball title since 1954.
Another branding mark was Rosario’s dominance in the 2015 Southeast Asian Games as he led the Philippines to the title.
Still, in the midst of established veterans, Rosario was an oversized pup trying to join the big dogs in the dinner table.
Sitting quietly just below the rim, Rosario talked to several reporters as he cooled down from practice with the spotlight briefly pointing at him and not on the veterans.
“Here in Gilas, this is where I will improve,” Rosario said. “This is where I will learn new things, things I did not learn in college and the PBA D-League.”
“This is a huge experience for me.”
Despite playing with veterans like Alapag and Asi Taulava in the Gilas practices, no one had more impact on Rosario’s development than one person.
That person wasn’t near anywhere Meralco Gym yet his knowledge and wisdom helped Rosario to where he is practicing.
Danny Ildefonso.
A back-to-back PBA MVP, Ildefonso has put Rosario under his tutelage during the 2014 UAAP Finals when the Bulldogs faced the Far Eastern University.
Rosario was already a menace in the UAAP even before Ildefonso guided him in the Finals, but the Bulldog faced difficulty when he squared-up against another versatile forward in the Tamaraws’ Mac Bello.
Ildefonso then trained Rosario before Game 2 and immediately elevated Rosario’s game.
“Danny and I would have one-on-one sessions for 30 minutes after our practice in NU during the Finals,” Rosario said.
“We got close during the UAAP Finals because he visited us during the training sessions and he would come up to me when I was shooting by myself. “
Rosario recalled Ildefonso told him to use his size and not to rely on too much on his jumpshot.
Games 2 and 3 were an afterthought as the Bulldogs trampled the Tamaraws for NU’s second title with Rosario leading the charge.
“Danny told me that I was a big man and I should not focus too much on my outside shooting. He thought me post moves that I could use when needed.”
Rosario may not have played a single minute in the PBA yet, but he has a plan well set-up he laid out for himself.
Toppling Ildefonso’s legacy is a tough deal but Rosario has just that in mind.
“If I can emulate what he did that would be the goal but I would also like to surpass what he did and show that I am a pride of Ilocos.”