Kahlil Whitney earning strong national praise

Looks like John Calipari jumped on the Kahlil Whitney train at the right time.

Calipari has become enamored with the game of the five-star wing Whitney, and has been recruiting him hard, leading to a surge in favoritism for Kentucky from national recruiting experts.

National experts have also raved about Whitney’s play recently. Evan Daniels of 247 Sports put Whitney on his All-July Team.

There were a couple of options at this position, but opted to go with 6-foot-6 wing Kahlil Whitney over Jaden McDaniels. At the NY2LA Sports during the second period, Whitney was very impressive in multiple viewings. So much so that John Calipari offered him a scholarship. In Las Vegas during the final period, Whitney made a game winning pull-up on the opening day. Whitney has freakish physical tools and is a dynamic athlete. His skill set is improving, as is his jump shot. The upside here is special and the truth is Whitney is just starting to tap into it. His best days are ahead.

Whitney is ranked the No. 14 player in the 2019 class by 247 Sports. It’s good to see that Daniels is praising the improvement of Whitney’s jump shot, because as a versatile wing it’s really one of the only parts of his game that doesn’t jump off the page.

Seeing Whitney have the summer he’s having makes it abundantly clear why he's shot up Kentucky’s big board for 2019. At this rate, it may not even be a surprise if he ends up being a top-10 recruit and Kentucky’s highest-ranked pledge in 2019.

Jerry Meyer of 247 Sports also praises Whitney’s dynamic scoring ability, alluding that he’s been impressive with his jumper.

Then there is Kahlil Whitney, a 6-6 wing with the body of a NBA player already. Whitney has the total package as a wing. He is physical, aggressive, athletic and skilled. A three level scorer, Whitney also impacts the game defensively and as a rebounder.

Rivals’ Corey Evans also raved about Whitney, depicting him as one of the top recruits in the class.

There may be better long-term prospects in the 2019 class and even that is up for debate but, whatever the case, there might not be a bigger ‘dog’ in high school ball than Kahlil Whitney.

He has been one of the better breakout performers of the travel season as he began things as a solid four-star prospect hovering around the middle of the Rivals150. Over the past four months, Whitney has put it all together, creating a cornucopia of athleticism, ferocity, toughness, ball skills and an evolving perimeter jumper. Add it all up and what you have is one of the best two-way wing prospects in America.

The next paragraph is promising for Kentucky, as it says his recruitment might just end while he’s on his visit.

While Whitney is a more than strong producer on the playing floor, it is his hard-nosed mentality, grit, and alpha-dog mindset that really sets him apart. He is headed to Kentucky on August 3 for an official visit and there is a thought that his recruitment could end before he returns to his native Chicago. Illinois and Louisville are heavily in contention but wherever he might land, someone is going to pick up a day one leader in the locker room that will not be afraid of the biggest of platforms.

Whitney is ranked No. 23 in the class by Rivals. Calipari has greatly improved his position with Whitney, so much so that Kentucky now holds 92 percent of the predictions in Whitney’s crystal ball with 12 predictions logged.

We’ve talked about how Kentucky might be able to replace DJ Jeffries with Dontaie Allen after his decommitment, but Whitney plays the same position and would bring more star power to join Tyrese Maxey in the 2019 class.