Khalil Whitney will transfer from Kentucky

[BBN87]

Posted it on Twitter. Not sure if I’m too surprised by this.

[cincyswords]

Any thoughts where?

[bulldog77]

Surprise! Not.

[Randy Parker]

Travis Mofield @Travism33

“You picked a fine to leave me, Kahlil” Kenny Rogers, probably

[Randy Parker]

I wish he would have stuck it out for the rest of the year. He seems like an excellent athlete and I think he has tremendous upside. Wish the kid nothing but the best.

[John Anthony]

Feels like an annual thing now. Will he interesting to see why. The recruiting services needs to cut down on the number of 5 stars.

[Irish Cat]

He seems like a tremendous athlete, but I haven't really seen him display any basketball skill thus far. Because of the hype these kids get these days, I can understand why he would be disappointed with his playing time this year, but he hasn't really shown that he belongs on the court just yet.

 

Given the number of guards / wings coming in next year, he would have had to improve quite a bit to get additional minutes next year assuming that class all lives up to expectations. Unless he is condering a lower tier school, I can't see that he would be ready just yet to contribute at another elite program either.

 

It's too bad that not many of these highly ranked kids have any patience these days. He could look at his teammate Nick Richards to see what kind of growth can be attained if you just stick it out. His situation reminds me of Charles Matthews. Ranked pretty highly out of high school but just wasn't ready as a freshman to contribute at UK. Ended up having a nice career at Michigan but it took a few years for him to play up to the level that was expected. I think he could have had a similar career should he had stayed at UK.

 

I haven't read the announcement but it from prior post in this thread it sounds like he is leaving now. Not sure why the rush as it's already 2nd semester so I can't see that he would be eligible elsewhere any sooner than if he played out the rest of the year. A couple of additional months of practice under Cal and against this level of competition surly couldn't hurt. Hopefully everything works out for the best for this kid.

[John Anthony]

The 12th player to leave since 2010.

[sweet16]

The 12th player to leave since 2010.

 

IT would be interesting to see how that compares to other schools. A lot of transfers nowadays.

[The Double Deuce]

Whatever day UK played at South Carolina, Rex Chapman was talking about Whitney on the pre-game show (on 1530 in NKY / Cincinnati) and was pretty tough on him. Really digging into his effort, consistent work ethic, and willing to learn / be coached. Was wishing him the best, and hoping the light would come on, but nonetheless, didn't pull any punches.

[16thBBall Fan]

Whatever day UK played at South Carolina, Rex Chapman was talking about Whitney on the pre-game show (on 1530 in NKY / Cincinnati) and was pretty tough on him. Really digging into his effort, consistent work ethic, and willing to learn / be coached. Was wishing him the best, and hoping the light would come on, but nonetheless, didn't pull any punches.

 

This probably needs to happen a little more today, too many people want to be their buddies instead of parents or coaches which leads to the “entitled” mental approach that so many players have today no matter how they play, just really sad.

[bugatti]

IT would be interesting to see how that compares to other schools. A lot of transfers nowadays.

I would assume that is low. Of course I think of schools beyond the major players, being a Murray State fan, that constantly have roster turnovers.

[futurecoach]

The 12th player to leave since 2010.

 

Feels like an annual thing now. Will he interesting to see why. The recruiting services needs to cut down on the number of 5 stars.

 

It really isn’t hard to figure out. A lot of these guys are use to being the man, never done anything wrong, never really having to get coached up because they were just that much better than everyone else. They come to UK thinking they will be a star and then when it doesn’t happen, and they aren’t playing much. It comes down to work harder, or get out because you know more recruits are coming in next year. So for most of the ones who leave, they aren’t happy with minutes and instead of working to prove they will be better they leave.

 

Someone like Nick Richards could have done the same, after playing limited minutes and being pulled as soon as he did something wrong. He stayed put in the work and the time and now is a key piece and most likely a first round pick and trending up still.

 

Some if they don’t get the instant success, they don’t know how to handle it and easier to leave. He has all kinds of potential, if he can put it together he will be a stud for someone eventually.

[Tones]

The 12th player to leave since 2010.

I believe he is the 13th, though Dillon Pulliam didn't transfer for basketball reasons.

 

Darnell Dodson 09-10 to Southern Miss

Stacey Poole 10-11 to Georgia Tech

Ryan Harrow 12-13 to Georgia St.

Kyle Wiltjer 12-13 to Gonzaga

Marcus Lee 15-16 to Cal

Charles Matthews 15-16 to Michigan

Sacha Killeya-Jones 17-18 to NC State

Dillon Pulliam 17-18 to Carnegie Mellon

Tai Wynard 17-18 to Santa Clara

Jemarl Baker 18-19 to Arizona

Quade Green 18-19 to Washington

Brad Calipari 18-19 to Detroit

Khalil Whitney 19-20 to Unknown

 

Whitney is probably the highest regarded recruit of the bunch (I believe he was projected as a lottery pick), but none of the other transfers would have added much if anything to Kentucky had they stayed. It sucks losing a guy who has so much potential, but he obviously has not made an impact with the opportunities that he has been given. Not sure what more he could expect from Kentucky in terms of playing time at this point. I wish nothing but the best for him, and once he figures it out, he is going to win a lot of basketball games for somebody else.

[John Anthony]

It really isn’t hard to figure out. A lot of these guys are use to being the man, never done anything wrong, never really having to get coached up because they were just that much better than everyone else. They come to UK thinking they will be a star and then when it doesn’t happen, and they aren’t playing much. It comes down to work harder, or get out because you know more recruits are coming in next year. So for most of the ones who leave, they aren’t happy with minutes and instead of working to prove they will be better they leave.

 

Someone like Nick Richards could have done the same, after playing limited minutes and being pulled as soon as he did something wrong. He stayed put in the work and the time and now is a key piece and most likely a first round pick and trending up still.

 

Some if they don’t get the instant success, they don’t know how to handle it and easier to leave. He has all kinds of potential, if he can put it together he will be a stud for someone eventually.

 

Late to fringe first rounders aren’t really for Cal. I think they keep finding themselves in no mans land, hoping for sudden improvement. If he tries to be patient, he could be recruited over.