LAST year I boldly declared my love for cager Enzo Joson. If you don’t know him, well, he’s the guard for the NU Bulldogs who has an adorable face and an impish smile. He also loves his German Shepherds so much that at one point, I wished I had the power to transform into a dog so he might notice me.
Based on the opening paragraph and photo featured together with this column, you know that this will be about basketball. First things first: I’m not a basketball enthusiast and I have made peace with the fact that I never will be one. I don’t understand the difference between traveling and an illegal foul—the latter actually makes me think the referee may be calling a basketball player for his smell from all that running on the hardcourt.
But whatever my lack of basketball knowledge, I make up for with my exquisite taste on basketball players. In fact, after reading my column on the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and my soliloquy about Enzo, one reader asked me on Twitter: How dare you write about the UAAP games based on just one afternoon—and after being focused on just one player when I clearly know nothing about basketball? Or as one devoted UAAP fan wrote in a postcard I have since turned over to the authorities: “Who died and made you the most obnoxious homosexual in Metro Manila abusing your writing power to flirt with a basketball player?”
The answer is simple: I love boys and, above all, I love good-looking boys who are good in what they do. And that pretty much makes me enough an authority. People should realize basketball is more than the shots, the fouls, the points and the plays. It’s also about watching a handsome boy in the prime of his life soar and become someone great.
And now the handsome boys I am now zeroing in on are the Ildefonso brothers: Dave and Shaun.
I first met them when I crashed the UAAP media day in ABS-CBN, hoping to “bump” into Enzo. When I saw a guy in an NU shirt who turned out to be rising star Rey Diputado, I sweetly asked him where Enzo was. He said, “Wala po.” I almost fainted! “Huh?! Wala na si Enzo sa team n’yo?! Bakit!? Anong nangyari?! May ginawa ba siya?! Siguro may girlfriend s’ya at na-distract s’ya sa training kaya tsinugi ng coach!”
“Ay wala po sya ngayon. Di po sya pwede,” said Rey, who at that point wanted to run away from the screaming and frenetic homosexual. “Ah, OK,” I muttered. I followed him to his other teammates—and that’s when I saw the Ildefonso brothers. It wasn’t like there was any hallelujiah moment when I laid eyes on them. But my friend Neth Ngo, who accompanied me to the media (stalking) day, whispered, “Magpa-picture ka sa mga yan! Magaling sila!” So I approached them and said, “Huy, let’s take a picture tapos you pretend I’m your muse!” The brothers laughed and they gamely posed with me.
Fast-forward to a few months later. It was the opening weekend of the UAAP and I chanced upon the NU team on TV and there they were, Dave and Shaun. In a sleeveless ensemble and tapered bottoms (basketball sando and shorts actually) that showed their fabulous physique and cute chinito features. They soared and scored…. The brothers were graceful on the court, the way they glided from one side to the other, shooting one point after the other…they were absolutely auteur athletes! They were magnificent! And most of all, they were hot!
I actually don’t remember what team they demolished in that opening weekend. But one thing I remember: commentator Boom Gonzalez said Dave had a team-high of 19 points with seven rebounds for the Bulldogs, while Shaun had 10 points, all in the third quarter and 11 boards.
Unfortunately, after that game, the NU team has skidded down in the team standings. Before I was about to tear my hair in despair, Neth told me that the second round is coming up and the brothers have a fighting chance to keep the team afloat, to be a final four contender even!
And that made me determined to spend all my energies to cheering Dave, Shaun, Enzo and another cutie I discovered that weekend, JV Gallego, so that the Bulldogs can bark their way to more victories in the UAAP league.
That is, unless the NU team, particularly Daddy Danny Ildefonso, files a restraining order against me because of my stalking.
Image credits: Photo courtesy of ABS-CBN Sports