Former Kentucky forward Derek Willis agrees to contract with Turkey's Anadolu Efes
Former Kentucky Wildcat forward Derek Willis has enjoyed a fruitful international career since his time in Lexington came to a close. That career was extended for at least another year this weekend.
On Sunday, it was announced that Willis signed a 1+1 contract with Anadolu Efes S.K., a professional team out of Istanbul, Turkey that was crowned as the most recent Euroleague champion. Signing a 1+1 contract means that the first year of Willis’ contract will be guaranteed with the second being a player option.
This will be the sixth international team that Willis, 28, has played for since he left Kentucky following the 2016-17 season. The Mount Washington (KY) Bullitt East product spent last season with Reyer Venezia in Italy, where he averaged 9.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and 12.9 points and 5.0 rebounds during EuroCup action.
Willis spent all four seasons of his college career (2013-17) at Kentucky. The 6-foot-9 stretch forward was limited to a deep-bench role his first two seasons before making his way into the rotation as a junior and senior. Willis averaged 7.7 points and 4.0 rebounds as a junior in ’15-16, where he shot 44.2 percent from three-point range across 32 games played.
As a senior in ’16-17, he averaged 7.0 points and 5.4 rebounds in a career-best 21.9 minutes per outing. He started 15 of the 38 games he appeared in that season, shooting 47.8 percent overall and 37.7 percent from distance. Willis’ best scoring performance as a ‘Cat came in Feb. 2016 when he dropped 25 points on seven made triples against Tennessee at Rupp Arena.
Willis went unselected in the 2017 NBA Draft but was quickly signed to a deal by the Detroit Pistons and would suit up for the franchise’s G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Drive, during the 2017-18 season. He would spend just one year in the G League before beginning his tour around the globe, making stops in Germany, Italy, Spain, and now Turkey.
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