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The Albuquerque Thunderbirds are looking for their face.

The face of the franchise is gone.

The T-Birds opened camp this week with new coach Jeff Ruland and 17 players hoping to make the 10-man roster for the team's season opener Nov. 23 at Tingley Coliseum.

Ruland was expected to cut the roster today to 12 players, but among those hoping to land a job are former University of New Mexico guard Kris Collins, ex-New Mexico State University forward Elijah Ingram and former Arizona State and Rio Grande forward Serge Angounou. The T-Birds have a preseason game Saturday at Tulsa, and the the final roster will be set Wednesday.

One person who won't be there Opening Night is Michael Cooper.

The former coach of the Thunderbirds flew the coop after two seasons and one NBA Development League title to return to Los Angeles to coach in the WNBA.

His presence with the T-Birds gave the fledgling D-League team instant credibility.

And a name to bank on.

The beloved former UNM standout and Los Angeles Lakers icon provided the T-Birds with star power. Five NBA Championship rings will do that.

D-League players usually aren't household names, and rosters fluctuate so frequently most fans don't get too familiar with the players.

Cooper became the fixture for two seasons. He was someone to cheer for and gave fans a reason to care.

Now, Ruland, a former NBA All-Star player and Iona College coach, takes Cooper's job.

But it's unlikely Ruland replaces Cooper.

Sure, he'll be out in the Albuquerque community trying to drum up support for everything T-Birds. The franchise put in more than 3,000 hours of community service this past season in an effort to build bonds in the city.

But without the New Mexico ties, the franchise will need to find another Cooper.

Billy Widner, the Thunderbirds president, says the franchise doesn't need one new face.

It needs multiple faces.

He says the franchise ultimately will be judged on the number of players it sends to the NBA and the quality of entertainment it provides to the fans.

Widner says players such as Chuck Hayes and C.J. Miles, former T-Birds now playing in the NBA, and those who follow will eventually leave their mark on the franchise.

The T-Birds hope to exercise their affiliate relationship with their NBA partners (the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns) to bring in players whom fans can relate to when they return to the NBA. (Just don't expect Steve Nash to wear a T-Birds uniform.)

Still, the T-Birds do expect to have at least one player NBA fans will recognize.

Darvin Ham, the T-Birds' first-round draft pick, won an NBA title with the Detroit Pistons in 2004. Ruland said Ham, a former Texas Tech standout, is the only player assured of making the team at this point.

Ham, who has eight years of NBA playing experience, will serve as a player-coach for the T-Birds, Ruland said.

But the biggest factor that might determine whether fans turn out to root for the T-Birds might have more to do with a different face fans can relate to - the face value of the tickets.

The T-Birds, through increased sponsorship, have reduced the ticket prices from $9 to $5 for nearly half the seats at Tingley Coliseum this season, Widner said.

Now that's a face you can bank on.