And so was Alex Compton, the versatile guard who was almost traded to Rain or Shine for 6-10 Samigue Eman before management decided to stick with him.
But make no mistake about it, fancied teams are in for a surprise from the Jewels.
"We’re not as strong as before but we remain competitive because we retain the character that we had when the team won the title two years ago," said interim coach Nel Parado.
Sison resigned last week, citing irreconcilable differences with team owners while Capus and Mercado were both released as part of the Jewels’ bid to get back on top following a disappointing sixth place finish in the 2006 Heroes Cup.
Montaña, owned by Armando and Conchita Quibod, however, is convinced that new faces — 6-7 Laurence Bonus, 6-5 Ronald Lamoncha and Allan Evangelista — and Parado would play vital roles in its campaign in the season-opening conference unfolding tomorrow.
And Jun Abraham, newly appointed manager of the Jewels, can attest to this.
"The Quibod family is very supportive of the team and they are happy with the way coach Nel is running the show despite the limited time to prepare the team," said Abraham.
"And with some new players in our team, we’re hoping that we can do better this time," he added.
Despite the departure of Sison, Capus and Mercado, Parado said they still have some veterans who can back up Compton.
ailing but is expected to give everything he has in his last conference in the league. Parado was referring to a group of Al Magpayo, Alwyn Espiritu, Ken Bono and Paul Guerrero up front and Reed Juntilla, Eric dela Cuesta, Froilan Baguion, Al Vergara and Art Atablanco in the wings and the backcourt.
"We’re basically a solid team, its just we’re not as deep as before," said Parado, whose squad takes on newcomer Teletech in their season debut tomorrow at the San Andres Gym.