Billy Cheng's five-year university basketball career came to a sudden and painful end. But, these days, he's thinking about the future instead of dwelling on the past.
Cheng, a graduated point guard for the UNBC Timberwolves, has attracted the interest of a team in a Hong Kong professional league. He had a tryout last year with Hong Kong's SCAA and the club wanted him to return this summer.
Unfortunately, Cheng suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a Jan. 16 road game against the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades and was sidelined for the T-wolves' final eight games of the Canada West season. The 23-year-old Cheng had surgery on the knee about four weeks ago and is now working through the rehabilitation process. When he's physically ready, he hopes to get back on the court with SCAA so he can take a shot at earning a roster spot.
"I'm rehabbing and basically nothing is confirmed yet," Cheng said after the Timberwolves Legacy Breakfast, held Wednesday morning at the Northern Sport Centre. "I'm hoping to rehab the right way and basically do whatever I can to get back into it and get to the level I want to play at. Hopefully everything works out and hopefully they still have trust in me and I get to do what I love."
Cheng's opportunity in Hong Kong was facilitated by former Prince George resident Nathan Yu, who plays for SCAA. Yu graduated from Duchess Park secondary school and went on to star for the UBC Thunderbirds before he made the jump to pro ball in Hong Kong.
With the Timberwolves this past season, the five-foot-eight Cheng averaged 10.3 points and three assists per game. As a starter, he was on the floor for almost 30 minutes per contest and was the man who coordinated the UNBC attack.
Cheng was an 18-year-old when he first arrived in Prince George in April of 2011 for a shoot-around with the Timberwolves. Earlier that year, he helped lead the Richmond-based R.C. Palmer Griffins to a triple-A high school provincial championship title. In the final, a 71-63 victory against the Vancouver College Fighting Irish, he knocked down 11 points and had eight assists. During the awards ceremony, he was chosen as the tournament's top defensive player and was named to the second all-star team.
With Cheng's quickness and overall skill-set, he made an immediate impact in his rookie season with the T-wolves. Each year, he elevated his play and his importance to the team but it took him a while to realize that playing basketball at the professional level wasn't out of the question.
"I just thought varsity sports was it," he said. "Honestly, I think I limited myself mentally to that thought but as I grew older and got more experience here I just thought, 'You know what? Why not give it a shot? Go for it.' And Nate gave me the opportunity to do it and I just went for it."
Cheng said he may go back to Hong Kong this summer to continue rehabilitating his knee. Before then, however, he has some unfinished business to attend to here in Prince George. He's currently completing a double major in finance and international business at UNBC and will write his last exam on April 20. Then, he'll participate in the school's graduation ceremony on May 27.
"It will definitely be a special day for me," he said. "It's been five years of multitasking both education and sports. I'm just happy that I've got the support system that I have at UNBC. The community has been great and the culture here has made me who I am today and I'm very proud of that and just thankful for the opportunity here."
Breakfast cooks up $50,000 in donations
The Timberwolves Legacy Breakfast featured keynote speaker Michael "Pinball" Clemons and raised money to be put toward scholarships and bursaries for UNBC student-athletes. Loralyn Murdoch, UNBC's director of athletics and recreation, said Wednesday's breakfast generated a little more than $50,000. That total, she said, includes about $8,000 that was pledged via credit card and is not yet cash-in-hand.
"I'm just ecstatic," Murdoch said. "The day-of contributions were fantastic - just about $27,000 from the community."
As an institution, UNBC stepped up with $16,000 in funds.
Meanwhile, the Michael "Pinball" Clemons Foundation donated $1,000 to the cause and Clemons himself raised a quick $9,000 when he auctioned off three ticket packages to a 2016 Toronto Argonauts game. The packages include dinner at the Clemons family home the night before the game and field-level access on game day.
Clemons won four Grey Cups with the Argonauts and is currently vice-chairman of the Canadian Football League team.
UNBC has 70 student-athletes on its varsity soccer and basketball teams. Murdoch called the $50,000 "a good starting point" for being able to financially support those athletes.
"We're still quite off the mark in terms of what we're doing on a Canada West or a CIS level but it's a really good contribution and it's going to help our coaches with their recruitment and now guaranteeing some scholarship funds for 2016-17.
"I'm very appreciative of the community and of the university in supporting our student-athletes, and we're going to build on it again next year."
-- PETERS, Citizen staff
