According to scout.com’s new rankings for the 2013 class UK commit Derek Willis has dropped to 91st in the rankings, after previously being rated at the 31 spot earlier in the year. One has to wonder why this drop occurred over a 6 month period. Has Willis failed to progress as a player, or have other high school players developed their talents at a faster pace? I had previously thought of Willis to be the Kyle Wiltjer of the 2013 class for the Cats, but maybe I was wrong. Although I do believe Willis is a good player, I am already concerned with the possibility of a limited impact on the team once he arrives on campus. This is not because he is not a great player, but rather he may be stuck behind a supreme talent, say a top 20 ranked forward. This is what I like to call Stacey Poole syndrome.

Was he overrated by scout? Let’s take a look at some highlights.

I think in these highlights he is at least 6 inches taller than everyone else on the court. Get the man some competition, and maybe his progress will accelerate.  I still have faith in Willis however, especially if he can develop an outside jumper. A more athletic Kyle Wiltjer sounds pretty good to me.

Do you think he can contribute once he arrives in Lexington? Or will he be the next Poole?