Vergel Meneses and Jayjay Helterbrand, meanwhile, return from sickbay and the Barangay Ginebra Kings hope to step up their drive against the Shell Zoom Masters.
Riding a new wave of confidence, the Realtors and the Kings set out fancied to hurdle the Aces and the Zoom Masters to clinch spots in the PBA Governors Cup quarterfinals at the Araneta Coliseum tonight.
Sta. Lucia is coming off back-to-back losses to Red Bull and Purefoods but seems to gain morale boost on the arrival of Fontaine to replace Joe Temple.
The team has been idle for over two weeks but it may well work to its advantage with Fontaine, a Washington State alumnus, getting enough time to familiarize himself with the local brand of play.
The 25-year-old Fontaine, who had a two-season stint with the Connecticut Pride in the CBA averaging 15.8 points on 52-percent shooting, was supposed to make his debut for Sta. Lucia last Nov. 3. Their game versus San Miguel was postponed due to Typhoon Seniang.
A team which is oozing with confidence without doubt is Ginebra, following back-to-back wins over Mobiline and Pop Cola despite a depleted lineup.
Now in the threshold of the quarters, the Gin Kings, with a 3-5 win-loss record, seek to formalize their stint in the next round while welcoming the return of Meneses and Helterbrand against the Zoom Masters.
Shell is out of it all with a 1-7 mark.