Kentucky's lone 2013 commit, Derek Willis of Bullitt East, recently experienced a pretty significant drop in his rankings by some of the major scouting services. He dropped to #91 in the Scout rankings and completely out of the top 100 at ESPN, while still being ranked #26 by Rivals. Internet experts have had plenty to say about the rankings, and Willis himself
talked a little bit about it to Jody Demling of the Courier-Journal yesterday. He said that he's working on his game and trying to get better, and that
he doesn't worry about the rankings:
“I heard about it, and people tell me my ranking all the time and ask me about it,” Willis said. “But I never really even listen to them anyway. I don’t think rankings determine what kind of a player you are, so I don’t worry about it.
“It’s real cool to look at ESPN or Rivals and see you are a top-30 player in the nation. It’s exciting and flattering, but you can’t base yourself or your game on what one guy puts you at in his rankings.”
Willis acknowledged that he hasn't played well this spring, with a trip to Germany to play with a USA squad and a difficult travel schedule taking their toll on him. Still, he's remaining positive and working to be the best player he can be when he gets to Lexington. Some have been concerned by his drop, but I would say it's not to worry. Not only has he already proven to be a good player, but
if Cal thinks highly enough of his game to want him at UK, that's all the ranking anyone should need.
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