And Rich Alvarez will play a huge role if there indeed is truth that there will be no way for the Turbochargers to go but up.
The former Ateneo ace, drafted first overall this year, comes to a Shell side reeling from setbacks dating back to what seems like an eternity, and Alvarez is actually the last piece of a massive overhaul that started from the very top of the team.
Gone is Perry Ronquillo, that portly, eloquent mentor responsible for Shell’s last two championships who resigned at the end of last season for having failed to rescue the Turbochargers from the doldrums.
Gone, too, are Dale Singson and Eddie Laure, two young stalwarts who were supposed to be part of Shell’s future Ronquillo has visualized.
In come Billy Mamaril from the Tender Juicy Hotdogs and an American coach named John Moran, who joins this squad armed with impressive credentials and a brand new direction coming from the bench which aims to make the Turbochargers contenders once more.
Shell missed making it past the eliminations for two straight years, and the coming Phillipine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference will be the start of a long road back to respectability.
"We are very excited about our team, which loves to run and gun," said board representative Bobby Kanapi. "We are still looking for deals to further bolster our lineup, but whatever happens, we are optimistic of winning many games this season."
Shell teams beset by injuries to key personnel aided Ronquillo’s failure to turn the fortunes of the Turbochargers around in the last two seasons. Couple this with the fact that Laure did not turn out to be the player Perry had wanted him to be.
Laure is now with Purefoods and Singson and his newly overhauled knees have taken their act to San Miguel, making the Turbochargers sport a new look beginning the transition tournament to open Feb. 22.
After Shell won its last championship in the 1999 All-Filipino, this team has not been able to flaunt the look that made them as fearsome as the best teams in the league.
It all started with Benjie Paras’ knee and the whole organization practically crumpled together with Benjie. Gerry Esplana, a former Rookie of the Year winner like Paras, also slowed down and Singson and Laure were supposed to fill in their shoes to no avail.
That’s why the expectations on Alvarez will be great, considering the fact that he will be asked to fill the void left by Laure, the man who was seen to be the answer to the pre-mature departure of the two-time Most Valuable Player Paras.
Moran has three guards at his disposal and Jun Marzan will be asked to play the point more than ever, with Khalani Ferrera, picked up from the free agent market, and Renzy Bajar coming off the bench.
If at all, the brightest spot in Shell’s game remains to be Chris Jackson, the workmanlike Fil-American who has been the envy of many a team. He will continue to be the heart and soul of this squad and the role model for aspiring big men Alvarez and Mamaril.
At 6-4, Alvarez will be one of the shortest men in the middle on the league. There’s no one else at Shell who has the promise to become the next Paras, but like the Eagle that Alvarez once was, there indeed is a promise that the Turbochargers will soar once more.