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Willis now leading UK in 3 pt FG%

It's obvious you don't like Willis. Your take is completely off base in my opinion. Willis has more BB IQ than most on this team. He doesn't have the physicality he needs to please Cal, but he would be starting and playing major minutes at most colleges. His defense is not as bad as his reputation is, and his offensive stats speak for themselves.

Man this isn't most colleges.
 
My word, the white bench player from Kentucky syndrome strikes again.

Willis is a fine young man and an excellent shooter, but if he plays 30 mpg we're screwed. I know this is hard to grasp, but basketball is as much about stopping your opponent as it is putting the ball in the bucket.

He would start at most bottom feeders and be a role player at any elite or semi elite program. Unfortunately for Derek, he plays at an elite program.
 
If I'm so damn stupid then tell us wtf you think the pt should be.
Also you don't watch the games cause if Willis didn't score what he did we would have lost. Don't give me that cap that Willis can't block because he does just as much as the so called 5 stars who can't even score a layup.
You sir are blinded by color
 
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Here is a thought for everyone in the Willis threads, he should not be playing as much as he is, but everyone else that could get minutes at the position he plays would give us less than he does.

Cal has little choice but to play him some, thus far the front court is weak enough to get Willis minutes. This explains why Skal's minutes have become limited, Humphries and Wynyard don't play and the reason we aren't as good as we should be.

There I have wrapped up 3 threads in one. In case anyone doesn't know this is intended humor spiced with a touch of truth.
again, sir.....:clap:
 
Willis is averaging 15 mpg over the past 5 games. At's about as right as you can get.

If he has to play more then we have an issue with our talent level.
 
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Willis is averaging 15 mpg over the past 5 games. At's about as right as you can get.

If he has to play more then we have an issue with our talent level.

We do have an issue with the talent level at the 2 positions Willis can play. We're weak at the 3 and the 4. (Murray is not a true 3)
 
It is not fair to Willis, there were 2 of the Harrisons to bitch about last year, this year he has fill that role all by himself, no one player can be expected to do that:weary:
 
"His habits(defense) are so bad. Like what's the word below so bad." .......we're working every day for him to create better habits. But they are what they are right now."

Sounds like a 10 minute a game player to me and his coach.
 
Willis is gonna end up transferring. Our entire rotation next season is gonna be freshman.
 
That movie may be a few years older than me but that doesn't mean it's not a classic. Love some Bill Murray

Now now, can't mention Murray without a bow to Caddy Shack. And my favorite quote:

Carl Spackler (Murray, referring to his "special" greens grass): "This is a hybrid. This is a cross, ah, of Bluegrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, Featherbed Bent, and Northern California Sensemilia."

An you gotta wonder if Pitino was a second for Rodney Dangerfield:

Al Czervik: "You're a lot of woman, you know that? Yeah, wanna make 14 dollars the hard way?"
 
I hope Willis hits a three to win the NC for UK just so I can rub it in all the naysayers faces.
Im sure their collective responses would be..."yeah we won the title and Derek hit the long buzzer beater but he cant play D worth shit." Idiots.
:flush:
 
His D is bad. But Cal has played other guys in the past nearly 30 minutes a game that were also bad on D.

James Young was as bad or worse than Willis. Yet Cal was determined to live and die with him in 2014 over Poythress. If Young doesn't foul out against UL in 2014 we probably lose in the sweet sixteen because Luke Hancock was abusing him and was going to continue to do so. Luke Hancock. Cal was playing a guy nearly 30 minutes a game that couldn't guard Luke Hancock.

Not to mention Young's passing and ball skills were pretty sub par as well.
 
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Ky boy my a$$ , couldn't care less where he is from . keep stroking that three , gonna be tight games where a couple of those bombs make all the difference . And yes , play some D ! .. all this total BS about race and where he is from is BS . We just want to win ! .
 
If Willis is not hitting in a game, what does he offer us?

Go on, I'll wait.
 
He spreads the floor and makes things easier for Ulis, Murray and Briscoe driving the ball. Even if he's missed 4 shots in a row, teams still have to get up on him to guard him
So he's 0-4 in the game, but spreading the floor for some of the other guards. His man has scored 7 points on him thus far. Do you accept this and leave him in? Or pull him?
 
So he's 0-4 in the game, but spreading the floor for some of the other guards. His man has scored 7 points on him thus far. Do you accept this and leave him in? Or pull him?

It literally depends on the game situations. How long has he been in the game? how many pts has UK scored while he's been in. Is there another player you can put him on?
 
Ky boy my a$$ , couldn't care less where he is from . keep stroking that three , gonna be tight games where a couple of those bombs make all the difference . And yes , play some D ! .. all this total BS about race and where he is from is BS . We just want to win ! .
Take the stick out Dan and don't put words in my mouth. Nowhere in my post was race mentioned. Tread carefully.

Christ.
 
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So he's 0-4 in the game, but spreading the floor for some of the other guards. His man has scored 7 points on him thus far. Do you accept this and leave him in? Or pull him?

unfortunately that all depends on which Poythress has showed up for us that day.

Alabama Poythress makes it really hard to find minutes for Willis. If it's LSU Poythress I play Willis till his legs fall off.
 
Cal knows more than everyone on this board, so the petty arguments aside clearly Willis is terrible on D. Others may struggle as well, but they all do other things well enough to compensate most of the time. People wanna keep the deflection argument to defend Willis (well so and so lets people score some too)...that is not a good defense IMO.

He said habits. Not that he couldn't play. He's right Willis does not position well.
 
Leave him in..offense is better when he is on floor...active on boards too
Did you really just say that he's active on the boards? That's take is flat out delusional. The guy is 6'9" and is literally the worst rebounder on the team. He rebounds by swatting at the ball with one hand, and that is not hyperbole.
 
Zen No you didn't mention race but several others have .
you can always count on race being mentioned when either Tubby is discussed, or Kentucky players vs non-Kentucky players are discussed. FWIW, I don't think Cal looks at players in terms of their skin tones, but how good of athletes they are.

Anyway - I love Derek Willis, as I love all our players - and want and hope for the best for him. But no, he wouldn't start most major conference teams (I say most because there are a few who are exceptions to the rule) because of his lack of defensive skill.
Yes, DW is a good passer, yes he can rebound some, yes he can hit threes and he IS good at the line. Sometimes he makes spectacular plays. But he also loses rebounds easily, loses his man easily, and does not defend the perimeter well at all. HIs biggest value, right now, IMO, is that while he can cost points due to lack of defense, he can also shoot so earns points as well. It becomes a wash - neither helps nor hurts, but can help maintain a score while another big gets a rest. Plus, he adds five more fouls.
DW did really well against the mid-majors we played, because his skill level is commensurate with theirs - but with better training. He doesn't do as well against better athletes. It is what it is.

Just my opinion.
 
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I don't understand why there aren't more threads like this about EJ. He does one thing very well - he jumps like crazy! - but can't do anything else......
 
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