ABSTRACT. Consider a unitary representation π of a discrete group G, which, when restricted to an almost normal subgroup Γ Ď G, is of type II. We analyze the associated unitary representation π p of G on the Hilbert space of "virtual" Γ 0 -invariant vectors, where Γ 0 runs over a suitable class of finite index subgroups of Γ. The unitary representation π p of G is uniquely determined by the requirement that the Hecke operators, for all Γ 0 , are the "block matrix coefficients" of π p .If π| Γ is an integer multiple of the regular representation, there exists a subspace L of the Hilbert space of the representation π, acting as a fundamental domain for Γ. In this case, the space of Γ-invariant vectors is identified with L. When π| Γ is not an integer multiple of the regular representation, (e.g. if G " P GLp2, Zr 1 p sq, Γ is the modular group, π belongs to the discrete series of representations of PSLp2, Rq, and the Γ-invariant vectors are the cusp forms) we assume that π is the restriction to a subspace H 0 of a larger unitary representation having a subspace L as above.The operator angle between the projection P L onto L (typically the characteristic function of the fundamental domain) and the projection P 0 onto the subspace H 0 (typically a Bergman projection onto a space of analytic functions), is the analogue of the space of Γ-invariant vectors.We prove that the character of the unitary representation π p is uniquely determined by the character of the representation π.