Knight and day

  MIKE CHIEN After initially deciding to leave UCLA to play
for Long Beach State, senior guard Billy Knight
listened to the advice of a homeless man and turned around his
career.

By Christina Teller
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Billy Knight used to give “Carter” media guides and
posters.

Carter, a former teacher and high school basketball coach who
was dealt a rough hand and ended up spending his days on the
streets of Westwood, gave Knight, now a fifth-year senior, advice
that changed his life.

Carter used to attend UCLA men’s basketball practices, and
Knight befriended the homeless man.

In fact, if it hadn’t been for Carter’s words of
wisdom in December of Knight’s redshirt sophomore season, the
6-foot-6 guard would most likely have finished his college
hoops career as a Long Beach State 49er.

Knight saw minimal playing time in his first season at UCLA. And
after over-conditioning during the summer following his freshman
year, Knight developed a persistent groin injury and redshirted his
sophomore year.

After returning in the fall of 1999 ““ following the
departure of Baron Davis ““ Knight expected to get the
opportunity to be a contributor.

But that didn’t happen. After the Pepperdine game in
December of 1999, Knight decided it was time to go.

“After that, I wanted to quit because I only played a
minute that game and didn’t play three games before
that,” Knight said. “I was on the bench, and I just
knew something wasn’t right.”

So Knight met with his parents and the coaching staff, and he
made up his mind ““ he wanted to leave UCLA.

The night he made the decision to transfer, UCLA played Purdue,
and Knight watched the game on TV from home.

While watching the game, something clicked.

Looking back, Knight said that he felt like God was talking to
him.

And maybe he was ““ just filtered through someone else.

During the time when Knight was contemplating transferring, it
was Carter who made a lasting intervention.

He challenged Knight ““ a player who early in his college
career believed he could succeed just by shooting from behind the
arc.

Carter asked Knight how many times had he dove on the court
during practice that day. Knight answered none.

How many charges had he taken? None.

Rebounds? None.

Steals? None.

He pointed out to Knight that he was not working as hard as he
could, and not listening to UCLA head coach Steve Lavin was
preventing him from becoming a better player.

It was after the conversations with Carter that Knight began to
realize that he wasn’t ready to leave ““ that he
hadn’t given himself or the UCLA program a fair chance.

“If I had never known Carter, I would be at Long Beach or
somewhere else right now,” Knight said. “God helps me
out by dropping bread crumbs along the way to show me the big
picture.”

The day after the Purdue game, Knight told Lavin he wanted to
come back.

After an extensive conversation, it was clear to Lavin that
returning was what Knight truly wanted.

When Knight rejoined the team, playing time didn’t matter
anymore.

His ego was gone. He had left it in the conversation with
Carter.

All Knight wanted to do was play as hard as he could ““ and
listen to what his coach was telling him to do.

“I’ve seen him grow tremendously as a player,”
teammate and fellow fifth-year senior Rico Hines said. “When
he first got here, he didn’t have a good understanding of the
game. He thought it was all about scoring.”

Two months after re-joining the team, the Bruins made their
fateful trip to Maples Pavilion, where UCLA knocked off No. 1
Stanford in overtime 94-93.

The Bruins followed 1999’s upset of the Cardinal with a
repeat in 2000 ““ again with a big game from Knight, who had a
then-career-high 22 points and three three-pointers.

“The Bay Area has always been a magical place for
(Billy),” Lavin said. “He had two breakthrough weekends
there that were turning points for our program.”

Not only has his game expanded, but he has also grown into a
leader on the team.

“Billy’s an inspirational story because he overcame
a lot of disappointment early in his career and got to the other
side of that,” Lavin said. “And as a result, he is a
shining example of continuing to work hard and is now continuing to
have success.”

In his fifth year as a Bruin, Knight has solidified a starting
role for himself and has begun to share his wisdom with the younger
guys.

“I want to tell them what I’ve learned, so they
don’t have to wait until their fourth year for the light to
flick on,” Knight said.

Maybe Knight can be a Carter for one of them.