We have a 5* in Willis
- Thread starter sosoblue
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Cal thinks differently from what I can gather. My son is very good friends with one of his parents. Cal has told them on more than one occasion that if Derek plays 4 years for UK and Cal that he will be drafted. Just because he hasn't had his moment yet does not mean that he wont get it. That is unless our coach is blatantly lying to the kid and his parents, which I don't believe to be the case. Cal genuinely believes Derek has the skill set to evolve into a pro. Now whether or not the kid is putting in the work required I cant answer but I do know that Cal has expectations for the kid to play ball post UK. According to them that was part of our recruiting pitch and the main reason he chose against the school he grew up cheering for among others. That kid expects to be in the NBA in two more seasons. Frankly I think he has the ability to get there and I hope he is putting in the effort to make that dream a reality. I really don't understand why every white kid from KY ends up being labeled as another Hood (or insert name of under performing KY kid here ie Carrier). Why do guys like you feel like your qualified to make such a comment? I coached AAU ball for 15 plus years and I don't feel I'm qualified to make a statement like that. And lastly why make such a statement? Other than wanting to come off as a Weisenheimer know-it-all.
Anyone who thinks the kid can't shoot is ridiculous and hasn't watched him, ever! The kid flat out filled it up in HS and Id venture to guess after 2 years in practice vs championship caliber players that he hasn't got worse.
Anyone judging him or comparing him should do so with Scott Padgett in mind. Lack of maturity has been an issue, and probably the biggest issue. Would not be shocked at all if Willis is a major contributor for us the next two seasons.
Anyone judging him or comparing him should do so with Scott Padgett in mind. Lack of maturity has been an issue, and probably the biggest issue. Would not be shocked at all if Willis is a major contributor for us the next two seasons.
Are these the "bad times" Willie was alluding to, when UK's roster is so depleted that we'll have to spend an entire summer surmising on the potential impact of Willis?
The fact that Willis received ZERO meaningful minutes last year, even when Alex went down, tells me Cal has ZERO confidence in him. He couldn't have received many more minutes than Sam Malone or Todd Lanter.
His statements about "falling out with the game" earlier in the season makes you wonder if he has the drive to be more than a practice player at this level. Sad considering he obviously has the skill to be an impact player.
His statements about "falling out with the game" earlier in the season makes you wonder if he has the drive to be more than a practice player at this level. Sad considering he obviously has the skill to be an impact player.
Willis is his own worst enemy. From everything I've heard, his work ethic is rock bottom which is why he didn't see any PT increase when Poy went down. I was his biggest supporter coming into last season, and he is very talented (probably not a 5 star, but definitely a Darius Miller level 4 star player), but my faith in him is as low as his work ethic right now I'm afraid. If he can actually put in the work at the gym and play with some fire and work his butt off in practice, he'll see the PT and could probably be an SEC 2nd or 3rd team kind of player.
Great post! I get tired of hearing about Willis, when all you read about is how little work he actually puts in. If he was in the gym as much as some of the other players were in, I could see wanting him to play more. Until he puts in the work, he has not earned the PT, period.
Difficult to shoot a high percentage when you only get in the game with the walk-ons and nobody runs any offense and the passes you receive are behind you or at your ankles.
If Derek Willis puts forth the effort in the offseason and dedicates himself to being a better player, there is no reason why he can't get a lot more PT next season.
Intriguing player. Would be surprised if he played any more than a small role, but I felt the same about Josh Harrellson.
He's a good passer. Fluid athlete. Needs to get in the gym and work on his shot and his strength. Still haven't seen any ability to mix it up, and if you play consistent minutes at this level you have to have some fight. When I saw Willis in high school he was woefully frail and weak.
I've always wondered about his drive. I've seen him many times in Rupp shooting left-handed in warm-ups. I wouldn't think anything about that had the stuff about him "falling out with the game" not come up. You see effective players from time to time who have sort of a relaxed demeanor, but almost all the guys who really contribute at a high level are stone cold.
If I had a gun to my head, I'd say Willis won't play much at all. But he may have to.
He's a good passer. Fluid athlete. Needs to get in the gym and work on his shot and his strength. Still haven't seen any ability to mix it up, and if you play consistent minutes at this level you have to have some fight. When I saw Willis in high school he was woefully frail and weak.
I've always wondered about his drive. I've seen him many times in Rupp shooting left-handed in warm-ups. I wouldn't think anything about that had the stuff about him "falling out with the game" not come up. You see effective players from time to time who have sort of a relaxed demeanor, but almost all the guys who really contribute at a high level are stone cold.
If I had a gun to my head, I'd say Willis won't play much at all. But he may have to.
If you take my current talent, I would be a 5 * in the elementary school league.
I hope Willis has a great year. Sounds like it's mostly dependent on his work ethic.
Posted from Rivals Mobile
I hope Willis has a great year. Sounds like it's mostly dependent on his work ethic.
Posted from Rivals Mobile
Besides hitting a 3 in garbage time or hitting some threes against undermanned competition of Blue-White games, what do any of you see in Willis that leads you to believe he can help us with our ultimate goal, against top-level competition?
I liked what I saw of him in the Bahamas. He's a pretty fluid athlete and I like his shot. He's long. I liked the way he passes the ball and think he has a nice feel for the game.
Again, it's not outlandish for a Top 100 kid to get a lot better over 3 years. We just got beat by a team full of those guys (besides Dekker).
It's up to him. Hate to do the Wiltjer comparison but I will. Kyle had a similar opportunity to do the same thing in 2013 when everyone bolted but he didnt' go the extra mile and was recruited over the same year. Same will happen to Willis if he doesn't put in 110%.
The other side of this coin may be Willis thinks no matter what he does it won't matter. People of course bring up Josh Harrellson but when you think back he only played bc he had to. Who else was Cal going to play? Harrellson didn't get his chance bc he worked his butt off in practice. If Kanter had been available Harrellson would of never seen the floor. I don't know the kid from Adam but this could be 2 real scenarios. Bottom line, I think it's up to him.
The other side of this coin may be Willis thinks no matter what he does it won't matter. People of course bring up Josh Harrellson but when you think back he only played bc he had to. Who else was Cal going to play? Harrellson didn't get his chance bc he worked his butt off in practice. If Kanter had been available Harrellson would of never seen the floor. I don't know the kid from Adam but this could be 2 real scenarios. Bottom line, I think it's up to him.
No no way is he a 5 star player . A high 4 star yes but not a top 25 player , which is a 5 star.
Willis can play and play well at this level. How do I know this? Because I watched it with my own eyes in the Bahamas last August. He can get it done if he's given the chance. What he needs to do is hit the weight room and improve his strength, and he also needs to improve his defense. He can score from a lot of spots on the floor.
Well yes, in fact you are.
That is Horse **** and you know it. We went 38-1 without a KY boy, and had a great chance in 2010 (unless you count Miller as "meaningful" mins) just whiffed on both.
Does anyone not from the state of Kentucky but still Wildcat fans realize the obvious level of delusion fans from the state give Kentucky boys? I mean hell; Stacey Poole never got this kind of outcry.
His size and skills? Your question could be turned back on you: aside from the inherent "wisdom" of cynicism, what would render him incapable of helping?
I don't understand why one would make another feel guilty about wanting a player from their home state. Yes, I would love to see a kid from Kentucky do well. Yes, I like Willis because he is from Kentucky. Sure, I would rather have an out of state player that can help us make a run at a final four. But don't make me feel bad for loving the Kentucky player.
Did you even bother to watch the games in the Bahamas last August? He played well and that was against pretty good competition.
What exactly is your definition of "bridge" year ? Are you saying we are NIT type bridge year ? Or not front runner, one of the top pick preseason favorites to win it all ? This team for next year has a lot of talent and we are not finished putting together next years roster, so I hope you where not saying we are not going to very good next year. Because you are wrong.
Bottom line is this, Willis is talented, obviously. But, it is nobodies fault but Derek Willis if he does not / has not got the playing time he feels he deserves. If you want more time, well act like it, practice hard, put in the work it takes to get it. Marcus Lee is in the same boat, he to will be a JR, and if he wants to be a major contributor, well dammit, work hard and improve. I mean, he actually showed some flashes (remember the Michigan game, and if not for him, we lose), but also remember all the games he came in, got 2 minutes and hit the bench. It is not a "when you want to do it," it is a do it all the time if you want playing time. Simple really, if Cal does not trust you, you are not playing. Put in the extra work, bust your ***, LISTEN to coaching, then and only then will you deserve minutes. If you just show up at the practice times and just do enough to get thru the 2 hours and get out of the gym, be prepared to have one of the best seats in the house watching others that out work you.
Willis played some really good minutes in the Bahamas last summer. He was consistently hitting from the three and pulled down several rebounds. IMO he is lacking in a little desire and self confidence now. Give him some dependable minutes in pre-season and let him play through his mistakes. You might be amazed at the result.
Funny, but I don't recall having said anything about him being a superstar. But I think he has shown that he can contribute some solid minutes. Unless we get some real talent signing late we're going to need someone that can come off the bench. And even if we have loads of talent it would be foolish to discount the possibility of injury or some other disqualifying problem.
Unlike some others on here, I'm not ready to assign a 20 year old kid as unusable.
I guess the question in my mind is how bad does Willis want what you want for him. I seem to recall seeing some question as to how hard he'd been working at basketball. I don't think he'll ever be a great player, but do think he could be a solid contributor if he's willing to work as hard at it as he ever has.
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