Kentucky commit Kahlil Whitney leads NJ Champ Roselle Catholic over NY Champ Archbishop Stepinac
By ADAM ZAGORIA NEW YORK -- In a
By ADAM ZAGORIA NEW YORK -- In a
By ADAM ZAGORIA PATERSON, N.J. -- In a
By ADAM ZAGORIA With Kentucky coach John Calipari
By ADAM ZAGORIA
John Calipari got his man.
Kahlil Whitney, the hard-driving 6-foot-6 wing from Roselle (N.J.) Catholic, committed to Kentucky on Wednesday after taking an official visit last weekend. Whitney is ranked the No. 5 small forward nationally by 247Sports.com.
“I am thrilled to announce that I am committing to the University of Kentucky,” he said in a statement.
“This was his dream and dream school,” Kelly Whitney, the former Seton Hall player and Kahlil’s father, told ZAGSBLOG.
@KahlilWhitney makes his college decision to @KentuckyMBB ! Full Video : https://t.co/RqqWY809Kq #BBN #MyMommaTheReason❤️ #TeamKwhit pic.twitter.com/OaYC09CrV0
— Prestige ? (@PrestigeKyy) August 8, 2018
Whitney, who recently cut his list to include Kentucky, Illinois, Georgetown and Oregon, joins point guard Tyrese Maxey and wing Dontaie Allen in Kentucky’s 2019 class.
“We are so happy for Kahlil to be in the position to commit to Kentucky,” Roselle Catholic coach Dave Boff said. “He’s worked hard and we know he’s going to make a great impact there just like he has at Roselle Catholic.”
Kahlil Whitney statement on choosing Kentucky pic.twitter.com/qCWedrn0kP
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) August 8, 2018
Calipari fell in love with Whitney this July and Whitney became the fourth Roselle Catholic player ever to receive a Kentucky offer, following Tyler Roberson, Isaiah Briscoe and Naz Reid. Now two of those four have chosen Kentucky (Briscoe).
By ADAM ZAGORIA
The Kahlil Whitney Sweepstakes could be wrapping up fairly soon.
Following his official visit to Kentucky over the weekend, the 6-foot-6 wing from Roselle (N.J.) Catholic said he is looking to make a college decision in the next couple of weeks and is uncertain if he will take any further visits.
“Right now I’m just going through the process,” Whitney said by phone Sunday morning from the airport on his way back home. “I’ll be making my decision in a couple weeks. I don’t know when.”
Ranked the No. 5 small forward in the Class of 2019 by 247Sports.com, Whitney on Monday cut his list in half, to four schools from eight: Kentucky, Illinois, Oregon and Georgetown.
Louisville, Miami, Florida State and SMU got the axe.
Following his UK visit, Kahlil Whitney has cut to a Final Four. Told me he planned to decide in the next couple weeks. https://t.co/z74gVqAtRr
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) August 6, 2018
Asked if he planned to take any more visits, Whitney said, “I’m not sure yet. I’m going to talk to my dad when we get back home.”
By ADAM ZAGORIA
Kahlil Whitney heard from the fans on his official visit to Kentucky.
The Illinois fans that is.
Well, one of them at least.
An Illinois fan who apparently goes by “Big Reece,” has the Twitter handle @mayntainperfect and who lives in Lexington posted a video saying that he shouted out Whitney and his family during the player’s official to Kentucky on Saturday.
“I just seen Kahlil Whitney and his family turn on a golf cart, and they went straight up this street here,” the fan, wearing a Toronto Blue Jays hat, said on the video. “As soon as I seen him, I hollered his name out…I just hollered out I-L-L-I-N-I.”
By ADAM ZAGORIA
The first time John Calipari saw Kahlil Whitney this summer was on July 14th at the Peach Invitational, the event that runs in Augusta, Ga., parallel to the Peach Jam.
It was about that time that Dajuan Wagner began raving to Calipari about Whitney, too.
Wagner, the former Camden (N.J.) High School star who played for Calipari at Memphis before becoming the No. 6 pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, couldn’t help but be impressed by Whitney, a hard-driving 6-foot-6 wing who, like Wagner, played his high school ball in the Garden State — at Roselle Catholic. Calipari was similarly impressed and soon began texting Roselle Catholic head coach Dave Boff to express his interest in Whitney.
Calipari fell in love quickly and Whitney became the fourth Roselle Catholic player ever to receive a Kentucky offer, following Tyler Roberson, Isaiah Briscoe and Naz Reid. Of that group, only Briscoe, now with the Orlando Magic, chose to play at Kentucky.
