What should Willis do after this season?
- Thread starter maysvilleky
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He will come back and play a key role next season. He will be in the rotation again next year.
I'm not saying he can't continue to play well , it's possible but I'm not buying an argument based on three games against not so great competition and especially at his position . We need Willis to be good and I'm all for that happening . As for next year I never said they were a sure thing but meant that no way they don't produce better than this years guys ahead of Willis . Willis has barely cracked this years rotation because three players are struggling to produce offense inside .
Unless you think next years players will also struggle to open a massive door for Willis then it's easy to conclude he will get his time reduced . Lee has no offensive game to speak of , Skals success is measured by him being able to hold onto a rebound and Poythress is a complete enigma . That's a lot of mishaps , it's more than reasonable to assume that won't happen on this scale again . So Willis will have to play well above what he's doing now to keep what he's gained .
And no way MKG starts over Miller , got it . People like you want Willis to play no matter what because he's from KY , it blocks all rationality . I know it will fudge your KY boy narrative but Bam will dunk him straight to the bench .
Great free throw shooter. Capable of knocking down the 3. Getting better both defensively and rebounding the ball. Will be a senior with good experience. Why would he leave just to sit out a year.
He will be in a UK uniform next year and he will be able to help this team out. All the while having a great chance to become a national champion with a college degree already in hand. It makes no sense to leave unless he shoots up the draft board and becomes a draft pick.
He will be in a UK uniform next year and he will be able to help this team out. All the while having a great chance to become a national champion with a college degree already in hand. It makes no sense to leave unless he shoots up the draft board and becomes a draft pick.
I guess if a player can lace up his own shoes, dress him self and can run without falling down, he has the "potential" to play in today's NBA. It makes me LMAO when I read about a player who has had a couple of good games and some are wondering, "will he declare for the draft." If Skal and Briscoe are listed as first round picks, then I guess anything is possible.
UK fans are a crazy breed...we actually have people lamenting that he'll transfer, might as well go pro since he can't play with next year's kids, etc..
Seriously...Willis is looking like our 3rd best player right now behind Ullis and Murray. Which means he could be our best returning player (and playing at a high level) and we don't think he'll get much clock? Silly indeed.....he'll play a ton next year. And we want him back to make us stronger...not hope Gabriel, SKJ are going to be elite.
Seriously...Willis is looking like our 3rd best player right now behind Ullis and Murray. Which means he could be our best returning player (and playing at a high level) and we don't think he'll get much clock? Silly indeed.....he'll play a ton next year. And we want him back to make us stronger...not hope Gabriel, SKJ are going to be elite.
I think he begins the season as a starter. Not sure he keeps the job, but he is going to be a rotation player and get starter type minutes regardless. He has a unique (to this team) and valuable skill set as a stretch 4.
I think the opening game starters end up being Fox, Monk, Matthews (I expect a lot of improvement from him), Willis, and Adebayo. Gabriel, SKJ, and Hawkins come off the bench.
(Note: I am assuming we lose Murray, Ulis, Briscoe, Labiessiere, Poy, and Lee. Also, not counting Bolden yet.)
I think the opening game starters end up being Fox, Monk, Matthews (I expect a lot of improvement from him), Willis, and Adebayo. Gabriel, SKJ, and Hawkins come off the bench.
(Note: I am assuming we lose Murray, Ulis, Briscoe, Labiessiere, Poy, and Lee. Also, not counting Bolden yet.)
Are you saying that Willis can't play in the NBA?No one on here has said that after a few games that he is going to declare.
Changing mental and attitude is everything. The coaches have noticed the change and so have his teammates. If he stays hungry and consistent, Willis can take his game to a whole new level.
Yep - IF he can stay consistent and hungry. Look - Willis has been very pleasing the last three games. But we also played Auburn, Arkansas and Vandy. Let's see if he produces on Saturday before we start considering whether or not he could start next year.
FWIW I don't think Willis leaves this year. He's one year away from graduation, and will possibly be on a title team next year. Not writing this season off, but it's not that likely unless Skal turns into Superman overnight. Next year though - he could be part of history, whether he's starting or coming off the bench.
When has a team of all seniors won it all? Never. When has a team of all juniors won it all? Never. When has a team of all soph won it all? 0 times. That works for every class of player. Now Cal did have UK in the title game in 2013-2014 with 7/8 rotation players as frosh in the tourney although WCS was a key contributor along the way until he got hurt in the UL game. I agree we need players like Willis back as I'm afraid more and more the "top 6" guys are gone. I hate that we cannot get a Briscoe or Ulis back as I'd like another good guard as Fox and Monk will kinda be on an island with their backups if they get in foul trouble.
If he keeps rebounding, and playing like he his in general, he should come back and start for a national champion.
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People are ceding their judgments to others, forgoing the evidence of their own eyes. I imagine 99% of BBN haven't seen one of these kids play in person. All we have to go on are recruiting analysts [which -- beg pardon -- is one goofy ass job] and heavily edited Youtube clips of kids dunking. Aside from the willingness to let others think for you, it's a terrible habit to always imagine that the Good Guys are always on the horizon. Next years class. Mañana. It's as if we needed some kind of built in mental assurance that though this year might come to naught, next year is going to be the Real Thing.
Where the hell did I say anything about MKG or Miller? You love playing internet tough guy but none of us know how great the incoming freshman will be. My statement clearly stated that I think the three fresh bigs could easily start over DW, but that it's not written in stone as you say it is. What if one of them pulls a Skal and takes a while to develop? Is it that inconceivable to think that if DW continues to play well the remainder of the year/in the summer and fall that he wouldn't start until said freshman finally gets it?
it's easy to sound smart when you put words in peoples' mouths and make glaring assumptions no one knows whether or not they will be true.
With a couple of guards that can penetrate (Fox and Monk) having Willis in as a stretch 4 will be very beneficial.
Nobody is putting anything in your mouth , you just don't get the example . MKG-Miller is supposed to show how people want KY borns to flourish at the expense of common sense . The same can be applied here , you and others are trying to ignore a high probability and put a low likelihood on par with it as if they both have the same chance of happening . If by tough guy you mean making you mad because I don't give credence to the idea that Willis has a good chance of playing as much as this year then yea I'm a really tough guy . He for sure wont start next year , that's written in stone . If he improves he may maintain his minutes but it's likely they go down .
I think I will pray every night that Derek is a starter on next years team.
This is the KY born effect , look for any small amount of evidence to present as the standard for a player born in the bluegrass . Simultaneously ignore a large majority of one and dones exceeding in their first year in favor of a couple that don't develop as fast and point to that as evidence good enough to not be sure of next years class . It's disingenuous but it doesn't matter because whatever half *** logic you use , it doesn't change what is the most likely scenario . If you can't process anything until it's over then follow me and get it a year early .
Willis should stay , why would he leave , there is freshman coming in, you never know how they will turn out, you can see that this yr, great chance Willis will start next yr because of his experience..
Stay and continue to improve of course. It would be silly for him to put in the work to this point only to transfer somewhere.
I like your points! I am thinking that Hawkins, Matthews, and Mulder will be OK as "backups" to Fox/Monk. Maybe I should say I am hoping so!!!!
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IMO it's not about how many of any class you have. It's about having a good mix. Talent, whether young or old, plus veteran leadership, and a good group of kids that want to win for the next guy. That's what it's about. Some people take what cal is doing way, way too far, the. Try and justify things that cannot really be justified.
The one place I don't want a freshman typically later in tournaments is the shooting guard position. Sophomore, junior etc is fine. I just like my shooters to have some seasoning behind them when the shits on the line. Relying on freshman shooting guards is one of Cals downfalls. His best shooting guard so far at UK stayed for 2 years.
He should get in touch with his Eskimo roots and go to Alaska for the summer. He and Wynyard can teach the rest of the team how to chop down trees and build a log cabin. The results will be like in Rocky IV when Stallone trains for his match with Drago by pulling horse carts through Siberian snow.
