LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Breaking out as an offensive contributor has spurred Kentucky forward Derek Willis to want to have the same impact on the defensive end.Lost in the shuffle for two years behind a parade of future NBA draft picks, the 6-foot-9 Willis earned his way into Kentuckys rotation as a junior and finally showed the talent that coach John Calipari had insisted was always there.Willis is a projected starter as the second-ranked Wildcats open Friday night against Stephen F. Austin with another roster of young talent. The confidence in his shooting during the preseason -- along with a willingness to fight for rebounds -- figures to make him a part of Caliparis developing rotations.I feel like I really know my role, and there are things I still need to work on, said Willis, who averaged career bests of 7.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 18.6 minutes with 11 starts last season. Once I figure this out, Ill help this team out even more than I have.Willis seems self-assured enough to turn heads in practice with intense play and even offer a suggestion to Calipari.Calipari recalled a moment when Willis reminded him of something he wasnt doing in the zone offense, a point the coach acknowledged before changing the play and thanking him.Last year, he would never have done that, Calipari said. That just shows you hes maturing, that hes able to trust enough that he can give a suggestion and know its not going to be thrown (back) at me.Having established himself as a perimeter threat -- he ranked third on the team with 53 3-pointers on 44 percent shooting -- the Mt. Washington, Kentucky, native appears comfortable inside. Hes going harder at the rim on both ends and contesting shots more along with diving for loose balls.Hes coming in and just fighting for everything, 6-10 redshirt freshman forward Tai Wynyard said.Willis growing confidence has been most evident in the way he has challenged defenders and shooters and given them a hard look after a physical play.Thats how Ive needed to play, Willis said, referring to a summer of studying video of his play. I can stretch the court, but rebounding and just playing defense and making sure my guy doesnt score more than me is important.Willis focus on defense is important as Calipari teaches the finer points of that aspect to on frontcourt newcomers Bam Adebayo and Sacha Killeya-Jones -- both 6-10- and 6-9 Wenyen Gabriel. After lacking a physical post game last season , Calipari has made that a point this season and is depending on veterans such as Willis to set the tone.Wynyard praised the seniors mental preparation, which might be even more critical with a season-opening stretch of three games in five days, including Tuesdays matchup against No. 12 Michigan State in New York City. As Kentuckys freshmen learn to play together and prepare for the first of many marquee non-conference games, they will look to Willis, fellow senior Dominique Hawkins and sophomore guard Isaiah Briscoe for guidance.All have embraced the responsibility with Willis in particular pulling teammates together for huddles. He sees that as a natural role for a veteran, especially since he has personal examples to draw from.Even last year, I could see that role developing for me, Willis said. So now, wherever Im needed, Im talking.---More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org Ombre Hydro Flask 40 oz Wide Mouth Olive Water Bottle . Neymar curled home a free kick from just outside the area to put the 2014 World Cup host ahead in the 44th minute. Three minutes after the break, a simple through pass from Paulinho freed Oscar and the Chelsea star rounded goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong to extend Brazils lead. Ombre Hydro Flask 64 oz Wide Mouth Black Water Bottle . Isner, ranked No. 14, won his eighth career singles title and took the title in New Zealand for the second time after his victory in 2010. The match was similar to Isners quarterfinal victory over fifth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber which went to three sets, all tiebreaks and contained no breaks of serve. http://www.hydroflaskwaterbottleuk.com/ombre-hydro-flask-beer-wine-10-oz-wine-tumbler-graphite-water-bottle.html . Coach Tom Thibodeau says the former MVP will probably start travelling with the team in the next few weeks. Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee at Portland in November and was ruled out for the remainder of the season by the Bulls. 32 Oz Wide Mouth Water Bottle Wholesale .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. Hydro Flask Coffee Sale . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. Last Thursday, a federal appellate court issued another decision in NFL commissioner Roger Goodells favor and against the NFL Players Association.This time it was in Adrian Petersons case. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that Goodell was properly acting within his powers when he suspended the Minnesota Vikings running back, under the domestic violence policy set in August 2014, for conduct that occurred in May 2014.Heres a Q&A breaking down what it all means:What was the case about?It starts with Article 46 of the collective bargaining agreement, which allows the NFL to hold players accountable for conduct detrimental to the integrity of, or public confidence in, the game of professional football. This empowered Goodell to create the personal conduct policy.In August 2014, following the Ray Rice controversy, Goodell circulated a memorandum to teams, outlining enhanced penalties for personal conduct policy violations involving domestic violence. These penalties increased the two-week unpaid suspension to six weeks for a first domestic violence offense.This case was about whether Goodell could retroactively apply those enhanced penalties to Peterson for the domestic violence he committed four months prior to the rules inception.?How did the events play out?Two weeks after Goodell issued the memorandum, a Texas grand jury indicted Peterson on Sept. 11, 2014. The running back was charged with felony injury to a child, his then-4-year-old son, during a May incident.In November, Peterson pleaded no contest to the lesser charge of misdemeanor reckless assault. Goodell suspended Peterson indefinitely and fined him six games pay based on the protocol outlined in the August 2014 domestic violence memorandum.An arbitrator Goodell chose affirmed Petersons penalty, but a federal lower court reversed it. The NFL appealed that decision to a higher court.What did the appellate court decide?A three-judge panel on the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with the arbitrator, holding that Goodell could apply the enhanced domestic violence penalties to Peterson.?The appellate court did not think Goodells memorandum created a new penalty that could have been applied retroactively. Rather, the appellate court concluded that the August 2014 memorandum just further explained the then-existing personal conduct policy, effectively enhancing it.The court also said Goodell may issue whatever punishment he believes is necessary under Article 46 and the personal conduct policy because neither limit the commissioners authority. In other words, the League might change its discipline without changing its policy, the court said.What does the ruling mean for the NFL?The ruling means Goodell has the power to increase or decrease punishment as he sees fit. The commissioner isnt limited to prior discipline -- i.e., Goodell doesnt have to issue the same punishment to a player that he issued in the past. Goodell has tthe power under Article 46 and the personal conduct policy to punish players to whatever extent he believes is necessary to deter the bad behavior.dddddddddddd.?Following the Deflategate decision against Tom Brady, this ruling just reaffirms the expansive reach of Goodells powers when it comes to issuing punishments under the CBA.?What does the ruling mean for Adrian Peterson?The ruling doesnt impact Petersons ability to play. It requires only that he forfeit his game checks for the six games Goodell suspended him in November 2014. Thats approximately $4.1 million of Petersons $11.75 million salary. (After Week 2 of the 2014 season, Peterson was placed on the commissioners exempt list, so although he was barred from all team activities until his child-abuse case was resolved, he still received his salary. It was after he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge that he was suspended, without pay, for the final six games of 2014.)League sources told ESPNs Ed Werder that Peterson had already paid the NFL three game checks, leaving less than $2.1 million to be paid.What does the ruling mean for the NFLPA and NFL players?The ruling is another hit to the NFLPA. The back-to-back appellate court losses could deter the NFLPA from pursuing challenges to Goodells authority in the future.?With this 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision, coupled with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Deflategate decision, the precedent has been set that Goodell has broad authority under Article 46. The decisions give the NFLPA little room to raise a viable argument undermining that authority.That does not mean there wont be more discipline fights; in a different case, with different facts, the NFLPA might find it worthwhile to raise a challenge. Its the associations duty to defend the leagues players. ?How can the NFLPA change the breadth of Goodells authority??The NFLPA can limit Goodells powers in Article 46 only by negotiating new terms in the CBA.?The CBA can be renegotiated at the end of the 2020 NFL season. That is, unless the NFL and NFLPA collectively agree to change the CBA before that time. This is unlikely, largely because Article 46 isnt an issue that impacts a lot of NFL players. Said another way, relatively few NFL players commit personal conduct policy violations.And fewer are getting into trouble, period. As the Washington Post reported last week, there has been a 40 percent drop in the number of NFL player arrested in the first six months of this year as compared to the same period last year. That means the NFLPA might not make it a priority to negotiate a change in Goodells powers under Article 46 now and possibly in the future.?Adrienne Lawrence is a legal analyst who practiced law from 2008 to 2015 before joining ESPN in August 2015.?Follow her on Twitter @AdrienneESPN. 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