John Calipari comments on addition of Kahlil Whitney

The Kentucky Wildcats have officially added Kahlil Whitney to their 2019-20 roster.

Whitney signed his letter of intent Friday during a ceremony in Chicago, nine months after he committed to the Wildcats. As you can imagine, this was a day Whitney, Kentucky and head coach John Calipari have been eagerly awaiting for some time now.

“Khalil is long and athletic,” Calipari said in a press release. “He’s in the same mold of some of the best players we’ve had here in that he has the athleticism to impact the game offensively, yet I believe he can be a difference maker defensively. He’s an elite finisher at the rim with the ability to put the ball on the floor and drive it.

“Khalil, who is originally from Chicago, has watched this program since Anthony Davis won a title with us and has wanted to be a part of this program for a while. I believe he’s only scratched the surface of how good he can be, and I can’t wait to get to work with him.”

Being able to play at Kentucky under Coach Cal has been a dream for Whitney, which he’ll now get to live out when the 2019-20 season begins.

“I chose Kentucky because it was my dream school,” Whitney said. “I feel that Coach Cal can coach, motivate and get the maximum potential on and off the court out of me.”

The final ESPN Class of 2019 rankings have Whitney at 12th overall. 247 Sports and Rivals both have him at eighth, though their final rankings have yet to be released.

Whitney joins a four-man recruiting class that also includes five-star guard Tyrese Maxey, five-star forward Keion Brooks and four-star forward Dontaie Allen. That has Kentucky’s 2019 class ranked third overall at 247 Sports with the potential to ascend to No. 1 if five-star guard Johnny Juzang picks the Wildcats in the coming weeks.

Kentucky also has signed Bucknell graduate transfer Nate Sestina. Along with the expected returnees for next season, that five-man haul is helping Kentucky check in the top five of nearly every preseason top 25 poll. Whitney will play a large part in deciding how much of a title contender Kentucky really is next season.

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