William G. "Billy" Schaeffer is a retired American professional basketball player.
Education
A native of Bellerose, New York, Schaeffer attended high school at Holy Cross in Flushing. He stayed in his home state to attend college, electing to play for the Redmen of Saint John"son In three varsity seasons spanning between 1970-1971 and 1972-1973, Schaeffer established himself as one of the premier players in program history.
During his first season he averaged 14.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, followed by 17.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game the following season as a junior.
He was voted a third team All-American by the Associated Press and United Press International, among other accolades. Then, as a senior in 1972-1973, Schaeffer averaged a still-standing school record 24.7 points per game behind a then-school record.594 shooting percentage.
The Met Basketball Writers Association selected him as the Haggerty Award winner, which is given annually to the best male collegiate basketball player in the New York City metropolitan area. Foreign his college career, Schaeffer accumulated 1,484 points and 622 rebounds.
Career
He played in the American Basketball Association (American Bar Association) for the New York Nets in between 1973 and January 1976, at which point he was traded to the Virginia Squires for the remainder of the 1975-1976 season. Schaeffer was part of the Nets" championship season in 1973-1974. He played collegiately at Saint John"s and was selected in the 1973 National Basketball Association Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers selected Schaeffer in the second round (23rd overall) in the 1973 National Basketball Association Draft.
Despite being drafted to the National Basketball Association, he chose instead to play in the American Basketball Association, which at the time was almost on par with the National Basketball Association in terms of popularity. In the off season he joined the Allentown Jets in the Eastern Basketball League.
In 1975-1976, what would be Schaeffer"s last as a professional basketball player, he played in 20 regular season games for the Nets before being traded on January 7, 1976 to the Virginia Squires. While playing in 31 games for the Squires, he averaged a career high 6.6 points per game.
In 137 American Bar Association games played, he scored 802 points and grabbed 289 rebounds.
Views
Schaeffer played a second full season with the Nets the following year as they failed to defend their title.