 Billy in 1987 | |
 Billy in 2004 | |
| Billy Berkenpass Jr. | |
| Portrayed by | Jamison Haase (1987) Rick Kelly (2004) |
| Episode | The Lost Soul of Herman Lester |
| Status | Alive |
Billy Berkenpass Jr. was a teammate of Herman Lester at Philly Tech High in 1987.
He hated all the unsavory activity hovering around Herman, along with being furious at the latter for stealing his girlfriend, Tanya Williams. The final straw was when Billy was approached by the local loan shark Big Ed Brown to throw the championship game, and he had approached Herman too. Billy accused Herman of planning to throw the game. This accusation got him kicked off the team but Billy chose to stay gone because he thought that Herman had ruined basketball.
After the game, Billy accused Herman of playing worse than he was capable of. However, Herman confessed that it was because he wasn't playing with Billy--Billy wasn't Herman's friend but he was still his best teammate. Moved by this confession, Billy buried the hatchet with Herman.
Unfortunately, this reconciliation proved to be the catalyst to Herman's murder; Billy's father, Billy Berkenpass Sr., was overly invested in his son playing professional basketball and blamed Herman when Billy decided to quit, killing him.
Billy is a physical therapist in 2004. He was the prime suspect in Herman's murder until he told Herman's son Ray Lester about the last time he saw him. Billy is among those watching Ray play the championship game that he and Herman also played.