Imagine missing an entire season. You can practice, but you can't play. It's like being benched every single game. How would you feel watching your team struggle and fall from No. 4 in the nation to a loss in the first round of the N.I.T.? And not be able to do anything but watch.
Welcome to the world of a transfer student-athlete. Required by NCAA rules to sit out one year at his new school, the transfer can participate in practice during the season but cannot play in games. Todd Billet and Nick Vander Laan transferred to Virginia before the 2001-2002 academic year after each had completed two seasons at Rutgers University and the University of California-Berkeley, respectively.
You've seen their faces for more than a year, but only this season will you get to see what the hype has been about.
"I've been playing basketball since I was 7, so that's 14 years with one off," Billet said.
Billet may dismiss the year as meaningless, but sitting out is certainly frustrating to any high-achieving athlete.
The Cavaliers may boast four major new additions to the team this year, but surely Billet and Vander Laan are nearly sure things for teammates and fans. The buzz surrounding Billet's precision shooting and Vander Laan's post play has grown because of their postponed debuts from the University Hall floor -- reports about both players' game is commonplace.
Certainly their presence could not come at a more opportune time. The Cavaliers are in grave need of a point guard/three-point shooter, a big body center to bang on the boards and someone to take pressure off All-American candidate and preseason Naismath Award finalist, Travis Watson.
Both Billet and Vander Laan will forever be inextricably linked in Virginia basketball history for their joint appearance on the basketball scene, their similar backgrounds and their nonpareil attitudes.
Billet hails from Middletown, N.J. where he attended Christian Brothers Academy. After leading his team to a 23-5 mark his senior season, Billet was regarded as one of the top high school point guard prospects in the country with a 19.5 points per game scoring average and a marksman-like 43.4 shooting percentage from beyond the three-point line.
Billet originally signed with Rutgers, rendering his services for two years in a Scarlet Knights uniform. He started all 58 games of his Rutgers career and did so with flair. He set two school marks for his long-range proficiency, hitting a team-record 82 three-pointers his sophomore year, and setting another Rutgers mark with eight treys in a game his freshman year against Notre Dame -- a feat he would equal his sophomore season versus Lafayette. He also led the team in points (16.6 ppg) and assists (4.2) his sophomore season. He earned third-team All-Big East honors for that stellar sophomore campaign.
Now all those achievements are both a team and a year removed. Virginia, however, is hopeful that Billet can match that production and truly excel in the company of a stronger surrounding cast.
It may have taken an additional three years but coach Pete Gillen finally has his man. Gillen raves about Billet's versatility and improvement as a player this past year.
"I think Todd is a better player now than he was at Rutgers," Gillen said. "He's a great shooter so he can play off of the ball, but he's so smart that he makes great decisions with the ball, too."
Billet is simply enthusiastic about taking the court again.
"I'm really excited," Billet says. "It's been a while. I practiced with the team last year, but it just wasn't the same knowing you weren't getting into the games."
Having been in the same yearlong position of seemingly endless workouts and practices, Vander Laan shares Billet's sentiment and outlook.
"The season's around the corner," Vander Laan said. "As far as eagerness is concerned, I don't want to downplay it or anything, but I can't rush anything. I've been doing everything I could do in my possible interests to be the best I can be. I'm excited."
Vander Laan's path toward Virginia has been less heralded as Billet's but comparably prolific. Vander Laan played at Kennedy High School in his hometown of Sacramento, Calif. before heading off to boarding school and the highly competitive New England Prep School Athletic Conference, which produced two McDonald's All-Americans just last year. He spent one year at the Kent School and the next year at St. Thomas More -- both in Connecticut. He was co-MVP of St. Thomas More as a senior, leading the team to a second-place finish in the 36-team conference that spans seven states.
He combined strong post moves with hard work and earned himself a scholarship to play at California-Berkeley. He started 37 of 62 career games at Cal. As a freshman, he finished second on the team in rebounding (6.7 rebounds per game) and averaged 8.5 points. He was named honorable mention Pacific-10 All-Freshmen and earned Cal's Hustle and Spirit Award -- a most fitting tribute for Vander Laan's style of play. More than gaudy numbers, his on-court contributions come from grit and determination -- qualities grounded in his early days as a basketball fan.
"Growing up, I watched the Celtics," Vander Laan said. "Everyone on that team knew his role. The teams that are great teams -- every player knows his role. My role on this team is to just go out and play. If I see the ball on the ground, of course I'm going to dive and get the possession because it's my job. If it's my job to play help defense and take a charge, I'm willing to sacrifice and do that."
His sophomore season was equally solid, as he repeated as the team's second leading rebounder and has learned technique well, putting in countless more hours than many of his peers.
"I've been playing the game for such a long time," Vander Laan said. "I've been watching it, I dissect it.I already got some game tapes of our opponents this year. I like to dissect the game. I look at myself as a student of the game. It's all about positioning."
Gillen concurs that Vander Laan's strength is the great number of intangibles he brings to the team.
"He's willing to do the dirty work," Gillen said. "Nick will dive, hustle and set screens, he knows that's his role. He'll help us with his work ethic, his attitude, his toughness. His greatest attribute is his willingness to do anything to win."
Doing anything to win in Vander Laan's mind means spending time honing not only his basketball skills, but his physical tools and the camaraderie among teammates.
"I wanted to improve as much as I possibly could this last year," Vander Laan said. "I was getting quicker, getting faster, getting more explosive. I was learning the system here. I was getting familiar with guys' abilities."
Basketball knowledge and team chemistry may be immeasurable metrics, but Vander Laan's improvement can easily be marked in other areas -- he put on 16 pounds of muscle to 259 and added six inches to increase his vertical leap to 30.
Both Billet and Vander Laan have shown a similar drive and commitment to win games for Virginia. Neither has taken the court in a Cavalier uniform yet both already exude a certain pride for the tradition and strength of this basketball program. A year removed from their matriculation to the University, each will finally get a chance to out their merits on display for all the worldto see.
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