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Biting the Billet
UVa guard returns to Rutgers, where welcome may be worn
 By ANDREW JOYNER / Daily Progress staff writer
Dec 21, 2002
 
Some college basketball programs make a tradition of playing a game near an upperclassman's home. The games are usually more pomp and circumstance than basketball as the crowd tends to tilt toward the returning player even more than the homestanding team.

One guesses tonight's homecoming at Rutgers for UVa junior guard Todd Billet, who grew up 30 minutes away in Middletown, N.J., will be just a little different.

"It's possible they may give me a break but I'm not counting on it. I'm sure I'll get booed the second I get on the bus to go to the game until I leave Piscataway," Billet said.

That's because in the minds of at least some of the Rutgers' fans, Billet is far from the local boy made good. He's the local boy that left.

Billet, a top recruit out of Christian Brothers Academy, signed with Rutgers in 1998 and started all 58 games there during his first two seasons there. He averaged 14.6 points in two years and was a third-team All-Big East selection after his sophomore year for then-coach Kevin Bannon.

Bannon, however, was fired and Billet's brother, Geoff, a former Rutgers standout and then assistant coach, was not retained, either. Todd Billet announced his decision to transfer on the same day in April 2001 that Rutgers introduced Gary Waters as its next coach.

Billet's decision to transfer likley had something to do with his brother's situation, something to do with the losing direction of the Rutgers program at the time and something to do with not wanting to be part of a rebuilding process.

This week, Billet did not pinpoint a specific reason and said it was rather a combination.

"There were many factors that went into my transfer decision. At the time, there were a lot of outside sources that I had no control over. It was a mixture of a lot of things," Billet said.

He later picked Virginia as his transfer destination. UVa coach Pete Gillen had recruited him while at Providence and then again at Virginia when the coach arrived here.

Billet had one conversation with Waters before leaving but it did little to change his mind.

"I knew even before I arrived that he was going to be leaving. I knew he would not be staying. It might be thought that I might have had the chance to talk him out of it, but that was not the case," Waters said.

With his decision to leave, Billet ended what had been a strong six-year relationship between his family and the school.

Geoff Billet was a four-year starter at Rutgers and finished as the school's ninth all-time leading scorer. Throughout Geoff's career for the Scarlet Knights, Todd and his parents, Lew and Noreen, would be fixtures at the Louis Brown Athletic Center, a.k.a the RAC, for all of Rutgers' games.

"When Geoff went to Rutgers and played there for four years, I pretty much went to every home game along with my parents," Billet said. "When you do that, you really get close to the school and you want the program to do well. It becomes a big part of your life."

It was only a few weeks after his arrival in Charlottesville that Billet realized that chapter of his life was not completely closed. Virginia had a two-year series with Rutgers in place.

"I think a a couple weeks after I came to Virginia I learned that Rutgers was on the schedule. It was kind of funny how the scheduling worked out," Billet said.

Added Gillen: "It was scheduled before. Someone from the ACC office said we had a chance to play Rutgers on TV on Sunday night last season. I knew we had to return the game and it would be a killer going back there. … When Todd came, I thought about not playing it. It's not a great situation for him, but he's a gutty kid."

And so Billet will be returning home tonight in what likely will not be the most pleasant moment in his career.

"It's going to be a very emotional game not just for me but for family, my parents and my brother. Before I played there, I was a fan there for four years following Geoff so it's going to be kind of a strange situation for all of us," Billet said. "It's a game and it's two teams that are trying to win a game and the home team is Rutgers. For their fans, they're primary objective is to win the game. … I probably will get booed. Rutgers fans want to see their team win. They love their team and they support them."

Perhaps, however, Billet should receive some credit for not merely seeing the negatives of the game. It will indeed provide a homecoming for him. His parents and brother also will be attendance, just not in what were their normal seats at the RAC.

"There is a part of me that knew this was going to be very difficult to play in this game and in this situation and to talk about it. But the game is 30 minutes from my house and my friends and family will get to go so from that perspective I'm looking forward to it," Billet said. "In a way, I'm looking forward to one part of it and not looking forward to another part of it."

Added Geoff Billet, currently an assistant at Monmouth University: "I think we have 20 or so - family and friends - going to the game. Of course, some of them will be wearing Rutgers red but they'll still be pulling for Todd. … We know a lot of people at Rutgers still and many of them are supportive of Todd and have good remembrances of him."

Yet, Geoff Billet says he expects that not all in attendance will be as respectful and it will be that part that might be difficult for a family that is accustomed to being cheered not booed in the arena.

"In terms of the crowd, I think that it will be a little bit harder for us in the stands. Todd will be on the court concentrating on the game but will be in the stands and hearing the things that are said," Geoff Billet said.

Todd Billet does see some room for a reprieve from the crowd. Rutgers senior guard Jerome Coleman, who is averaging a team-leading 21.1 points per game, transferred to the school from Cecil Community College only after Billet had departed.

"He came in last year and has done a great job. That's one of the reasons I might get a warm reception from the crowd. I don't think he would have been able to get a scholarship if I had stayed," Billet said. "The crowd may actually cheer me because he's averaging over 20 a game and that's partially because of me."

 

 

Transfer U.Va. guard makes return to Rutgers
By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot
© December 21, 2002

For six years, the Billets of Middletown, N.J., were the first family of Rutgers basketball.
From 1995-99, Geoff Billet started 113 of 114 games for the Scarlet Knights. His parents, Lewis and Noreen, and his kid brother, Todd, rarely missed a game at the Rutgers Athletic Center, known as “The RAC.”

The year after Geoff graduated, Todd stepped into the Rutgers lineup as a freshman and broke his brother’s record for 3-pointers in a season. Geoff signed on as an assistant coach the next season, and Mr. and Mrs. Billet remained RAC royalty in their seats across from the Rutgers bench.

Tonight, Todd Billet will return to the RAC, when his new team, Virginia, takes on Rutgers. Billet, Virginia’s leading scorer, isn’t sure what type of reception he’ll receive, but he’s got an idea.

“I probably will get booed,” he said.

Fans at the RAC have shown little mercy to native sons who spurned the red & white. When New Jersey products Troy Murphy (Notre Dame) and John Cellestand (Villanova) played at the RAC, they were heckled every time they touched the ball.

Billet is bracing for similar treatment. But he says nothing that happens tonight will dampen his affection for his former school.

“If I get booed from the second I get on the bus to go to the game, until I leave Piscataway, that’s not going to change my feelings about Rutgers and having played there,” he said.

Billet left Rutgers on good terms after former coach Kevin Bannon was fired. At the time, he said he wanted to play in the NCAA tournament and didn’t think a rebuilding Rutgers team was likely to get there in his final two seasons.

In an interview this week, Billet said there was more to it than that.

“There were a lot of outside sources that were going on that I had no control over,” he said, “so it was just a mixture of a bunch of things.”

Among them was the fact that Geoff also lost his job when Bannon was fired. So did assistant coach Danny Hurley, who was close to Todd.

Billet transferred to Virginia, which had recruited him out of high school. He sat out last season in accordance with NCAA rules. Through seven games, he’s averaging 13.4 points and shooting 39 percent from 3-point range. Coach Pete Gillen has praised Billet’s decision-making and toughness, but the 6-foot guard is still struggling to find his shot.

Billet shot just 1 for 7 in Virginia’s win over Gardner-Webb on Thursday night and said he’s “still trying to get that feeling of being comfortable on the court again.”

Billet found his comfort zone at Rutgers. He started all 58 games in two years, averaged 16.6 points as a sophomore was voted third-team All-Big East.

When Bannon was fired, after an 11-16 season and amid reports that he had been abusive to players, it appeared Rutgers was in need of a major rebuild. Instead, new coach Gary Waters guided the Scarlet Knights to an 18-13 record and NIT berth last year. Rutgers is off to a 5-2 start this year.

Still, Billet has no regrets about leaving.

“When you make a choice like that, you have to stay firm with it and you have to work toward it and keep moving on,” he said.

Billet sat on the bench in street clothes when Rutgers played at Virginia last year. He’s got mixed feelings about tonight’s game. On the one hand, he’s looking forward to playing in front of family and friends. On the other hand, he says, “I’ve never been in an opposing situation against Rutgers.

“It’s going to be an emotional game not only for me but for my family.”

Billet’s parents will be there. So will Geoff, now an assistant coach at Monmouth University.

“I’ve tried to tell him not to be sentimental about it,” Geoff said. “He does love the school. He does like the people there.”

Geoff Billet said given his family’s ties to Rutgers, Todd might even get a break from the RAC crowd. At least initially.

“I wouldn’t be shocked if when he was first introduced, they gave him a round of applause,” he said. “Once the game starts, I think they’re going to give him a pretty rough time.”
 

 

 

UVa recruits get Post validation

Prolific rusher bursts on state scene

By DOUG DOUGHTY
 Exclusive to roanoke.com by 5 p.m. Fridays
Publication of The Washington Post’s All-Metro football team brought some attention to Virginia and Virginia Tech recruits who, for obvious reasons, are not as well-known in these parts as some of the elite in-state prospects.

Making first-team All-Met on offense was Deyon Williams, a 6-foot-3, 187-pound wide receiver for Suitland High School who had 35 receptions for 689 yards and seven touchdowns. Williams is committed to Virginia.

Named first-team on defense was Roland Minor, a 6-1, 180-pound defensive back from H.D. Woodson High School in the District of Columbia, where he had 53 tackles and seven interceptions. Minor, who has committed to Tech, scored 11 touchdowns -- three on punt returns and eight on pass receptions. He had 30 receptions for 609 yards.

It wasn’t the easiest task to make the Post All-Metro team, as some of the top prospects in Virginia found out.

Robinson High School tight end and Tech recruit John Kinzer, rated the No.7 prospect in Virginia by The Roanoke Times before the season, was a second-team choice. So was UVa offensive-line recruit Marshall Ausberry from West Springfield.

The first-team selections included five uncommitted seniors from Virginia who were not ranked among the state's top 25 prospects before the season: offensive lineman Flordell Kissee from Gar-Field, offensive lineman John Massie from West Springfield, defensive lineman David Landsdowne from South Lakes and linebacker Danny Prentice from Oakton.

A fifth All-Met selection, two-time Northern Region defensive player of the year Adam Fassnacht from Robinson, has signed to play lacrosse at UVa. Fassnacht is also one of the state's top-ranked 215-pound wrestlers.

Of the other uncommitted Virginians, Kissee is the most likely Division I-A signee, with Maryland among his suitors.

VIRGINIA TECH RECRUIT Carlton Powell, offered scholarships by Tech and UVa before committing to the Hokies, was an absentee from the first and second All-Tidewater defensive teams picked by the Virginian Pilot.

Pilot insiders say it would have been difficult to pick Powell, a 6-4, 285-pound defensive lineman from Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, because he was not an all-region selection.

First-team choices on the All-Tidewater team included Virginia recruit Robbie Catterton, a defensive back from Kellam High School in Virginia Beach, and Sherman Logan, a defensive end from Kempsville (Virginia Beach) who is collecting Division I-AA offers while waiting to hear from UVa.

Cavaliers' recruit Fontel Mines was named first-team All-Richmond Metro by The Times-Dispatch at wide receiver but his Hermitage High School teammate, Virginia Tech-bound tight end Duane Brown, had injury problems that kept him off the team.

ROGER PIERCE, WHO took Stafford to the Group AAA Division 5 championship game before losing to Phoebus 39-13, is trying to get the word out on senior running back Thomas McLelland, a virtual uknown after rushing for barely 100 yards as a junior.

Thomas, named first-team All-Met by The Washington Post on defense, rushed for 648 yards and fice touchdowns in Stafford's first three playoff games, giving him 2,544 yards to that point. McLelland, who has a 3.75 grade-point average and nearly 1,000 on the SAT, is a 5-11, 180-pounder with 4.6-second speed in the 40.

PRELIMINARY RESEARCH INDICATES that 2003 will be a great year for quarterbacks in Virginia, headed by 6-3, 195-pound Sean Glennon at Westfield High School in Chantilly. Glennon plays for Tom Verbanic, who, as the coach at Fairfax High School, had the state's No. 1 prospect in 1999 with running back Brandon Royster.

Verbanic reports that Royster, a wide receiver for the Cardinal, is contemplating his football future after developing an illness that has eroded the cartilage in one of his knees.

ODDS 'N' ENDS: Kellam High School coach says that 6-5, 250-pound defensive end Noah Sutherland, rated the No. 27 prospect in Virginia by The Roanoke Times before the season, has an offer from UCLA . . . T.C. Williams High School coach Riki Ellison said that 6-2, 220-pound running back Tony Hunt has not committed to Southern Cal, as reported by SuperPrep and other publications. Hunt, who has been to Southern Cal and Michigan, will be at Maryland this weekend and also hopes to visit Penn State and Virginia. . . . Syracuse has received a commitment from Delton Ashburn, a cornerback from Fork Union Military Academy’s undergraduate team. Ashburn has run a 4.25 40, coach Mickey Sullivan said. . . . Virginia Tech has rescheduled Chris Ellis' visit for Jan. 24-25, the Hokies' big recruiting weekend. Ellis, a coveted defensive end from Bethel High School, will be at UVa for its big weekend Jan. 17-18. Bad weather kept Ellis from flying to Blacksburg last week. . . . Virginia has come out of nowhere to become one of the leaders for Turk McBride, a 6-4, 250-pound defensive end from Camden, N.J., who is rated the No. 5 prospect in New Jersey by SuperPrep.

 

 

FORMER RUTGERS STAR RETURNS: Point Driven Home
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Dec 21, 2002
U.VA. AT RUTGERS
TODAY: 8 p.m. RADIO: WRVA (1140), 7:30

He admits he felt uncomfortable sitting in street clothes on the home bench at University Hall and watching his new basketball team battle his former one last Dec. 23.

Imagine, then, how University of Virginia guard Todd Billet will feel tonight when he actually plays against his former team in the gym where he spent so many memorable days, first as a member of his brother's cheering section and then as a standout himself for Rutgers.

"It's going to be a very emotional game for not only me but my family - my parents and my brother," said Billet, a 6-0 junior. "It's going to be a strange situation for all of us."

In early April 2001, after two seasons at Rutgers, he announced he was transferring to U.Va. A couple of weeks later, Billet learned that the Cavaliers were scheduled to play the Scarlet Knights in 2001-02 and again this season.

"It's kind of funny how the scheduling works out," he said.

Billet, U.Va.'s leading scorer (13.4 ppg), is from Middletown, N.J., about a 35-minute drive from Rutgers' campus in New Brunswick. The brothers Billet, like former U.Va. point guard John Crotty, starred at Christian Brothers Academy. Geoff Billet played guard for Rutgers from 1995 to'99 and ranks ninth on the school's all-time scoring list.

Geoff Billet, a Rutgers assistant during his brother's sophomore season, is now on the staff at another New Jersey college, Monmouth. He'll be at the famously inhospitable Louis Brown Athletic Center tonight, along with parents Lewis and Noreen Billet.

"Besides UConn, it's by far the toughest place to play in the Big East," Geoff Billet said. "When you're there for a sellout, it's one of the great atmospheres in college basketball."

Todd Billet isn't kidding himself. He'd love to hear thunderous applause when he's introduced tonight, but he knows that boos are likely to drown out any cheers. So be it.

"First of all," he said, "it's a game. It's two teams that are trying to win a game. The home team is Rutgers. The fans, their first primary objective is they want their team to win the game. I'll probably get booed, because Rutgers fans want to see their team win."

Troy Murphy got the same treatment when he played for Notre Dame. So did former Villanova star Tim Thomas. Both grew up in the Garden State.

"The Rutgers fans have a tendency, mostly against New Jersey kids who have left and gone to other places . . . to be more unforgiving to them than to other players," Geoff Billet said.

As a schoolboy, "Todd's first love was always Virginia," his brother recalled, and the interest was mutual. But heading into his first season as U.Va.'s coach, Pete Gillen had only one scholarship to use on a point guard, and Majestic Mapp grabbed it in August 1998 before Billet had made up his mind.

So Billet headed off to Rutgers to play for Kevin Bannon. As a freshman, Billet started 31 games and averaged 12.8 points. A season later, he hit a school-record 82 treys, led the Scarlet Knights in scoring (16.6 ppg) and made the all-Big East third team. But Rutgers fired Bannon after that 11-16 campaign, and Billet decided he needed a change, too.

"It wasn't really one particular thing," he said. "It wasn't only because of the rebuilding situation" that Rutgers and Bannon's successor, Gary Waters, faced.

After sitting out last season, Billet has split time at shooting guard and the point. Not surprisingly, he's been inconsistent. In a Dec. 4 loss at Michigan State, he scored 26 of his game-high 28 points in the second half to keep the Cavaliers from getting blown out. He made six of seven shots from beyond the arc after intermission.

Two nights ago, Billet missed six of seven shots from the floor and scored a season-low five points in U.Va.'s uncomfortably close victory over Gardner-Webb. For the season, he's shooting only 34.3 percent from the field and has more turnovers (18) than assists (17).

At Rutgers, Billet said, "I was a very consistent player, and I think I'm still trying to get that feeling of being comfortable on the court again."
 

 

 

Empty seats abound in December
BY DARRYL RICHARDS
FOXSports.com
Dec 19, 2002 10:13 p.m.

The Orange Bowl sold out days after it snared Iowa and USC. The Fiesta Bowl was destined to be a sellout because it is hosting the national championship game. Oklahoma fans are scouring for tickets to the Rose Bowl.
The fledgling Continental Tire Bowl in Charlotte stayed close to home by selecting West Virginia and Virginia and was rewarded with a sellout. It will have the second-highest attendance figure for a bowl game making its debut.

That's the good news.

Several middle- and lower-tiered bowls are seeing schools return tickets like shoppers taking ugly ties back to the store the day after Christmas.

"Ticket-wise it has been a challenge," Tangerine Bowl executive director Tom Mickle said. "If you have a pre-Christmas date, it's a big challenge."

Schools returning bowl tickets are nothing new. Several conferences expect their member schools to return tickets and have budgeted ways to subsidize the shortfall. But it is surprising to see some of the schools that have reputations for traveling well on the return line. Consider:
Nebraska is on course to have its worst fan turnout for a bowl game in at least the last 20 years.
Nebraska looks like it will sell its fewest tickets to a bowl game in the Tom Osborne-Frank Solich era for its Independence Bowl game against Mississippi. The Cornhuskers, who made the Rose Bowl look like a home game in January, have sold approximately 2,000 tickets. Two travel agencies have decided against chartering flights.
Texas Tech will be lucky to sell 2,500 of its allotted 12,000 for the Tangerine Bowl. Several Tech fans have complained about the timing of the Dec. 23 game and the difficulty of traveling from Lubbock to Orlando so close to Christmas.
Iowa State initially received 10,000 tickets for the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, but returned 5,000. School officials hoped to sell 2,500 of the leftover batch. Iowa State's alumni association recently canceled a charter to Boise because it couldn't sell enough seats.
Colorado and Wisconsin report slow ticket sales for the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28. Colorado has returned about 7,000 tickets to the Alamo Bowl for distribution to charity groups. Wisconsin officials estimate that the school has sold approximately 6,000 tickets — a very low number for a school that is considered a good traveling team.
Maryland is pushing tickets like Ron Popeil on an infomercial. The school guaranteed it would sell 20,000 tickets for the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl and Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen sent a mass e-mail to boosters urging them to buy tickets whether they attend the game or not. Friedgen is concerned that if Terp fans fail to support to team in large numbers it may be labeled as a school that doesn't travel well. That may be the difference between going to a mid-level bowl and a lower-tiered bowl. Friedgen even played CPA when delivering his message.
"And you will receive the full tax benefit of donating the tickets to charity."

Bowl directors and conference commissioners offer different reasons for the downturn. The Big 12 had to wait until Oklahoma and Colorado played in the Big 12 championship game to announce its bowl pairings. The delay prevented some fans from making reservations for the lowest possible airfares. Texas Tech fans had about 15 days to find tickets to Orlando.

Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg added the Tangerine Bowl and the Humanitarian Bowl to the conference's slate of bowl games to increase exposure or provide better destinations. The Tangerine Bowl gives Big 12 teams a chance for exposure in Florida, which has been good to several Big 12 teams in terms of recruiting.

The Humanitarian Bowl secured a bowl spot for a Big 12 team that finished 6-6. Weiberg said the conference signed the contract knowing it would have to subsidize the team for slow ticket sales. But he also wanted to avoid getting into a bidding war for another conference to get an empty spot.

"Teams do establish a track record over time," Weiberg said. "I think the trend is a school will sell tickets if it's a game fans view as very significant or it's the school's first time in a bowl in a long time. But I also think the BCS is having an influence. For some teams, falling short of a BCS bowl is a bit of a disappointment. I think it's something we have to examine after the bowl season."

Weiberg said the conference will revisit its contract with the Humanitarian Bowl. The Big 12 signed a two-year contract with an option to get out of the contract after one year.

Don't just blame the glut of bowls for the slow ticket sales. A number of factors can drive a bowl's success. Invariably, the ability to drive to the game is the biggest factor. Bowl directors are finding that out this year in an economy where more people are tightening their belts.

Excited Texas Tech fans came in droves to the Alamo Bowl and helped the bowl become a sellout last year. This year the two teams aren't from the state of Texas or a bordering state.

The Continental Tire Bowl has sold 73,258 and easily sold its allotment of tickets to Virginia and West Virginia. Executive director Ken Haines said the bowl was fortunate to have two teams peaking at the end of the season and having both teams just hours away from Charlotte by car. Haines said he had proximity in mind when he made agreements with the Big East and the Atlantic Coast Conference.

"I think this sends a message nationally that the lower-tiered bowls have to have alliances in travel distance in order to be successful," Haines said.
 

 

 

Billet Tries to Pick Up the Pieces
Transfer From Rutgers Struggles to Find Niche at Virginia
By Steve Argeris
Special to The Washington Post
Saturday, December 21, 2002; Page D10

Tod Kowalczyk and Dan Hurley warmly recall their last years as Rutgers assistants, the back-to-back NIT bids and the promise of a young, homegrown backcourt of Dahntay Jones and Todd Billet.

"Getting him meant everything to Rutgers basketball," said Kowalczyk, coach of Wisconsin-Green Bay after a stint at Marquette. "It doesn't get any better for a place like Rutgers than Todd Billet."

In a matter of weeks, Jones transferred to Duke and Kowalczyk moved on to Marquette, and Rutgers was sent into a tailspin that resulted in an 11-16 record the following season and the firing of coach Kevin Bannon. Hurley was let go along with Bannon, as was Geoff Billet, Todd's older brother, who had returned to Rutgers as an assistant after a standout four-year career for the Scarlet Knights.

"Everybody was leaving," Hurley said. "Todd was left alone."

Billet, who grew up in Middletown, 25 miles from the Rutgers campus, and had watched nearly every one of Geoff's home games, saw his chances of playing in the NCAA tournament slipping away and decided to transfer to Virginia.

"Our family was a big part of the Rutgers program," said Geoff Billet, now an assistant at Monmouth. "Our parents were at every game, home and away. They were close with everyone."

Tonight, the family will be sitting behind the Virginia bench as Todd, a junior guard who is struggling along with the Cavaliers (5-2) in the early season, returns to the Scarlet Knights' notorious Louis Brown Athletic Center.

"When Todd came, I thought about not playing [the game]," Virginia Coach Pete Gillen said. "It's not a great situation, but he's a gutty kid."

Billet's adjustment to Charlottesville was fine. During his transfer year he roomed with a high school friend on the Cavaliers' soccer team, Sean Feeney, and his family remains convinced it was the right move.

But his on-court transition has not been as smooth. After averaging 16.6 points and 4.2 assists as a sophomore, he is averaging 13.4 points and 2.4 assists this season. Since scoring 28 points in a loss to Michigan State on Dec. 4, he has scored 11 against East Tennessee State and five against Gardner-Webb in unconvincing wins.

"During my sophomore year at Rutgers I was very consistent," Billet said. "I don't feel quite comfortable yet."

Part of the reason is that the Cavaliers do not seem to have found a role for Billet. At 6 feet and 192 pounds, he is point guard-sized, but his best asset is his outside shooting, making 40 percent of his three-pointers at Rutgers. His high school, Jersey shore power Christian Brothers Academy, traditionally relies more on Princeton-style ball movement than dribble penetration, and Billet is a capable passer but average ballhandler.

"We looked at him as a guard that could play both spots," Hurley said. "To really flourish, he's got to play with an assist type of guy, a drive-and-kick player. If you put him at a position where he just has to score, he can really do good things.

"Or, you can pair him with a slashing wing guard, but the guy really has to be creative, really has to know the game, like a Duke kind of guy. Dahntay wasn't that player yet, the one year they had together. He was going to be. That combination, of Todd as a sophomore and Dahntay as a junior, both Jersey guys, that's what we had been building toward."

Virginia had the latter player in Roger Mason Jr., who departed for the NBA a year early, and the former in Majestic Mapp, who has missed the past two and a half years with a knee injury. Currently, Billet plays with sophomore point guard Keith Jenifer, who has the penetrating ability, and a pair of newcomers on the wing, freshman Derrick Byars and sophomore junior college transfer Devin Smith.

The answer is where Billet always finds it. A true gym rat, Billet is one of the all-time favorites of Five-Star camp creator Howard Garfinkel, who added a new series of station drills after Billet's personal workout, dubbing it the Billet Mignon.

"You can call him a combo guard, but you know what he is?" Garfinkel said. "He's a lead guard. And he's got to start leading. It's up to the rest of those guys if they want to follow."