I'll be honest: I don't know what's going to happen with Derek Willis. I really don't.
What I do know is that these things generally don't end well for the school losing a recruit.
There is one shining Purdue-specific example to the contrary, though, in Kyle Orton, whose recruitment actually was fairly similar to Willis'.
It was a different sport, obviously, but at its most basic levels, Orton was just like Willis in that he committed extremely early to an out-of-state school, then blew up that spring to where everyone all of a sudden wanted him. I'm not comparing football fandom in Iowa to basketball fandom in Kentucky but Orton did take his share of static in his home state for turning his back on it, as stupid as that whole argument is.
Orton went through a period of uncertainty, with Colorado and snaky Gary Barnett specifically trying to sway him. But the blue-chip quarterback ultimately re-affirmed his commitment to Purdue. It did not hurt Purdue' cause that Drew Brees happened to be his counselor at the Elite 11 camp.
I'm off track here.
For Purdue, Willis was found money. His recruitment was almost too easy, and once he blew up in the spring, you had to at least wonder about his commitment's steadiness.
And let's be real here: If anyone thought Purdue was just going to pluck an absolute stud recruit from right between John Calipari and Rick Pitino without needing a fly-swatter and a can of Lysol to beat back the stench, you're either naive or clueless. There are few boundaries for those guys and they're the types to bring a gun to a knife fight.
So Thursday's events - whatever they exactly were - may not have been altogether surprising. I've been doing this long enough to expect the unexpected and to view everything through a skeptical eye, that lesson first being learned when Robert Vaden told me he was probably sticking with Purdue approximately four hours before committing to Indiana.
I do understand the nutty basketball culture in the state of the Kentucky, though, and I do know there have been coaches making it known of their wishes to recruit Willis. The pressure has to be suffocating.
Purdue has a compelling case to make from practical standpoints. Everyone associated with Willis has spoken highly of the program's culture and coaches' character, to the point where last night, both the high school coach and Willis' father sounded almost sickened by the thought of not doing right by Purdue here.
Systematically, Willis' unique blend of skills fit the mold Robbie Hummel's created with the Boilermakers right down to the smallest detail. Willis' family is basketball-savvy enough to understand that and value the basketball fit.
Purdue offers stability, with a 40-something-year-old coach with a brand-new contract. John Calipari, who's made a career out of staying one step ahead of major sanctions, could bolt for the NBA at any time; Pitino is clearly at the end of line, stocking up, perhaps, for one final run. If he's Louisville's coach by 2014, I for one will be surprised, not that I cover Louisville.
Purdue is not a one-and-done environment. Kentucky is. So is Louisville, to some degree, with an NBA coach in an NBA-type arena recruiting nationally with the hopes of getting NBA players, not role players.
Willis is undoubtedly that level of talent and he will be a player wherever he goes, but he's young and in two years, he may still be a boy physically. UK and Louisville recruit men. He won't get lost at either school, I don't think, but especially at Kentucky, he might have to wait behind all the lottery picks Calipari recruits in the spring prior to his freshman year.
But I can't emphasize enough that Derek Willis can play anywhere in the country. He's that good. But some schools may play to his strengths better than others. Opportunity may present itself earlier at some schools than others.
I don't know what's going to happen. Based on some of the comments Del Willis made Thursday both about Purdue, the competition and the process in general, he could very well re-up with the Boilermakers this weekend.
But he could just as soon put himself back on the market he never really put himself on in the first place prior to his commitment. In which case, the pressure gets amplifies exponentially.
Is it easier in Kentucky to pick Kentucky over Louisville; to pick Louisville over Kentucky; or to simply pick neither? You think it's been bad so far? Get your Kevlar vests ready for when those bullets start flying, not only from the schools, but from their fans.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Yes, Purdue, with its distinct lack of glamour, is a solid practical choice for Willis. But these decisions are only sometimes made on practicality.
If Purdue loses Willis, it stings, obviously. He's a transcendent talent and a perfect fit and complement for the other talent coming in. The loss would stem some of the momentum the Boilermaker program has picked up off the court with its profound recruiting success in recent months.
But can you lose something you never really had? What's a four-month commitment anyway?
Where it kind of screws Purdue, for lack of a better term, is that this happens right after a July period in which the Boilermaker coaches could have been looking for replacements. Purdue was recruiting a lot of 4 men for that class and obviously had no need to continue last month because of Willis' commitment.
Better to lose him in August of 2011 than August of 2012, though, obviously. There's still more than a year until signing day for the 2013 class.
If whatever news comes out Sunday is not good news for Purdue, it might close the book on this thing. If I know Matt Painter the way I think I do, I don't know if he's going to be all that interested in re-recruiting, particularly understanding that it was the sway of the two in-state programs that brought this on in the first place.
Painter has been careful in recent classes not to put all his proverbial recruiting eggs in any one basket. If there's going to be drama here - understandable or not - I just don't know if he's going to be interested in being part of it.
We'll find out soon enough, I guess.
This post was edited on 8/6 12:05 AM by Brian_GoldandBlack.com
What I do know is that these things generally don't end well for the school losing a recruit.
There is one shining Purdue-specific example to the contrary, though, in Kyle Orton, whose recruitment actually was fairly similar to Willis'.
It was a different sport, obviously, but at its most basic levels, Orton was just like Willis in that he committed extremely early to an out-of-state school, then blew up that spring to where everyone all of a sudden wanted him. I'm not comparing football fandom in Iowa to basketball fandom in Kentucky but Orton did take his share of static in his home state for turning his back on it, as stupid as that whole argument is.
Orton went through a period of uncertainty, with Colorado and snaky Gary Barnett specifically trying to sway him. But the blue-chip quarterback ultimately re-affirmed his commitment to Purdue. It did not hurt Purdue' cause that Drew Brees happened to be his counselor at the Elite 11 camp.
I'm off track here.
For Purdue, Willis was found money. His recruitment was almost too easy, and once he blew up in the spring, you had to at least wonder about his commitment's steadiness.
And let's be real here: If anyone thought Purdue was just going to pluck an absolute stud recruit from right between John Calipari and Rick Pitino without needing a fly-swatter and a can of Lysol to beat back the stench, you're either naive or clueless. There are few boundaries for those guys and they're the types to bring a gun to a knife fight.
So Thursday's events - whatever they exactly were - may not have been altogether surprising. I've been doing this long enough to expect the unexpected and to view everything through a skeptical eye, that lesson first being learned when Robert Vaden told me he was probably sticking with Purdue approximately four hours before committing to Indiana.
I do understand the nutty basketball culture in the state of the Kentucky, though, and I do know there have been coaches making it known of their wishes to recruit Willis. The pressure has to be suffocating.
Purdue has a compelling case to make from practical standpoints. Everyone associated with Willis has spoken highly of the program's culture and coaches' character, to the point where last night, both the high school coach and Willis' father sounded almost sickened by the thought of not doing right by Purdue here.
Systematically, Willis' unique blend of skills fit the mold Robbie Hummel's created with the Boilermakers right down to the smallest detail. Willis' family is basketball-savvy enough to understand that and value the basketball fit.
Purdue offers stability, with a 40-something-year-old coach with a brand-new contract. John Calipari, who's made a career out of staying one step ahead of major sanctions, could bolt for the NBA at any time; Pitino is clearly at the end of line, stocking up, perhaps, for one final run. If he's Louisville's coach by 2014, I for one will be surprised, not that I cover Louisville.
Purdue is not a one-and-done environment. Kentucky is. So is Louisville, to some degree, with an NBA coach in an NBA-type arena recruiting nationally with the hopes of getting NBA players, not role players.
Willis is undoubtedly that level of talent and he will be a player wherever he goes, but he's young and in two years, he may still be a boy physically. UK and Louisville recruit men. He won't get lost at either school, I don't think, but especially at Kentucky, he might have to wait behind all the lottery picks Calipari recruits in the spring prior to his freshman year.
But I can't emphasize enough that Derek Willis can play anywhere in the country. He's that good. But some schools may play to his strengths better than others. Opportunity may present itself earlier at some schools than others.
I don't know what's going to happen. Based on some of the comments Del Willis made Thursday both about Purdue, the competition and the process in general, he could very well re-up with the Boilermakers this weekend.
But he could just as soon put himself back on the market he never really put himself on in the first place prior to his commitment. In which case, the pressure gets amplifies exponentially.
Is it easier in Kentucky to pick Kentucky over Louisville; to pick Louisville over Kentucky; or to simply pick neither? You think it's been bad so far? Get your Kevlar vests ready for when those bullets start flying, not only from the schools, but from their fans.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Yes, Purdue, with its distinct lack of glamour, is a solid practical choice for Willis. But these decisions are only sometimes made on practicality.
If Purdue loses Willis, it stings, obviously. He's a transcendent talent and a perfect fit and complement for the other talent coming in. The loss would stem some of the momentum the Boilermaker program has picked up off the court with its profound recruiting success in recent months.
But can you lose something you never really had? What's a four-month commitment anyway?
Where it kind of screws Purdue, for lack of a better term, is that this happens right after a July period in which the Boilermaker coaches could have been looking for replacements. Purdue was recruiting a lot of 4 men for that class and obviously had no need to continue last month because of Willis' commitment.
Better to lose him in August of 2011 than August of 2012, though, obviously. There's still more than a year until signing day for the 2013 class.
If whatever news comes out Sunday is not good news for Purdue, it might close the book on this thing. If I know Matt Painter the way I think I do, I don't know if he's going to be all that interested in re-recruiting, particularly understanding that it was the sway of the two in-state programs that brought this on in the first place.
Painter has been careful in recent classes not to put all his proverbial recruiting eggs in any one basket. If there's going to be drama here - understandable or not - I just don't know if he's going to be interested in being part of it.
We'll find out soon enough, I guess.
This post was edited on 8/6 12:05 AM by Brian_GoldandBlack.com
