The date: Dec. 21, 2002. The place: the Louis Brown Athletic Center. The game was billed as Virginia versus Rutgers, but that wasn't the real story. The real story was the return of Todd Billet to the school he played two years for. Thousands of incensed fans sported "BILLET SUCKS" t-shirts and booed furiously every time he touched the ball.
Sitting so high that I was actually above the banners in the stadium, I remember Billet putting one finger to his lips, silencing the crowd after he drilled one of his four three-pointers. Billet won that night, as his 22 points led Virginia to the 61-57 victory.
After the game, as my father and I waited for a cab, we were approached by Majestic Mapp. Mapp expressed his heartfelt appreciation for a feature article that I wrote about him. With all the negative and skeptical press being written about him, it was nice for him to read something positive for a change. Seeking me out on the street was something that he didn't have to do. Yet it was something that he did. The pound and the sincere words of thanks spoke more to who he is and what he's about than any 230-line feature ever could.
These two men embody all that is right with Virginia basketball. Through all the uncertainty, the player scandals, the ineligibility issues, Todd Billet and Majestic Mapp have established themselves as men the University of Virginia can be proud to call their own. Yet tonight, the University of Virginia will say goodbye as Billet and Mapp play in their final home game. While the Cavalier careers of Billet and Mapp come to a close, their legacy will live on.
Mapp returned from his knee injury Jan. 11, 2002 against North Carolina. As both teams huddled for an official's timeout, Mapp broke the huddle and jogged to the scorers' table. As the horn rang, Mapp stepped onto the court. Tightening his shorts, he wiped the bottom of his sneakers as the thousands in attendance stood and applauded. Mapp went on to average 16.4 minutes per game in Virginia's final 17 games of last season. Shaking off the rust, Mapp showed flashes of brilliance with his court vision and calming influence as the floor general.
Yet this season has been different. Mapp's minutes are down and in some games nonexistent. At seemingly every press conference Virginia coach Pete Gillen is asked about Mapp's playing time, or lack thereof. Gillen usually winces while saying something to the effect of Mapp having been through a lot -- he's had six surgeries, and he doesn't have the quickness he once had.
In this, his final year of playing for the Cavaliers, Mapp is seemingly as handicapped as when he spent two seasons on the bench. He has seen most of his senior season pass by as he has watched from the sidelines.
Maybe coach was right, maybe he couldn't do it. Or maybe coach was wrong, maybe he wasn't given a fair chance. Maybe the truth isn't so clean cut. Maybe life isn't fair.
Like Mapp, Billet also spent time sitting on the sidelines, patiently waiting for his chance on the court. Billet then spent his first season as a key contributor on Travis Watson's team. This season, the book was out on Billet. Opponents knew how to keep him in check and his offensive numbers are down from a season ago.
Unwilling to accept the drop-off, Billet went to work. He shot for hours after practices were over, determined to be the best he could possibly be. To put it mildly, the work has paid off for Billet.
First it was Georgia Tech. Billet connected for three and then backpedaled down the court. He pumped his fist in the air in excitement before being embraced by Elton Brown and others. Then it was Clemson. Billet came off of a Donte Minter screen, drilled the basket from the corner, and held up his follow-through as he got back on defense. Then it was North Carolina. Draining the three-pointer, once again holding up the dying swan as he got back on defense. The trifecta of trifectas. If you doubt the merit of hard work, Billet has proved you wrong.
Todd Billet and Majestic Mapp will be given their framed jerseys tonight as they take the floor at University Hall for the last time. This is the last time that number 22 and number 11 will lace up their sneakers and put the name VIRGINIA across their chest. This is the last time Mapp will get ready for a game by dribbling on the corner of the court instead of shooting around with his teammates. This is the last time Billet will head to center court for the pregame captain's meeting.
That is the nature of college basketball. The players come and go. But while they are here, they are a part of you. You feel the joy of converting on the tough drive to the hoop. You feel the raw determination of leaping skyward to snatch the pivotal rebound. You feel the floor burn of diving for the loose ball. And then, you remember. Though they leave, they are not gone. They have formed memories that stand the test of time. Memories that can make one reminisce ever so fondly on an otherwise ordinary cold night in Northern New Jersey.
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