Kahlil Whitney says 'uncertainty' led to Kentucky departure, confident 2019-20 team would have won title

John Calipari never missed an opportunity to talk about the ultimate what-if that was Kentucky’s 2019-20 squad, a group that won 28 games and steamrolled through SEC competition to run away with the league title. Led by Tyrese Maxey, Immanuel Quickley and Nick Richards, the Wildcats were the hottest team in college basketball — then the world shut down in March with the SEC and NCAA Tournaments canceled.

“I mean, when we had Maxey and Quickley, we could have won the national title,” Calipari said on one occasion out of countless. “We won this league by three games, four games, maybe. COVID shut us down in the conference tournament. We could have been one of those teams again.”

Kentucky’s second-highest-rated recruit in 2019 felt the same way, Kahlil Whitney entering the year as a consensus top-15 prospect and No. 1 among wings. Just knowing the team’s trajectory and the pieces it had, how well they all fit together, everything pointed toward banner No. 9 — right up until the end.

“I feel like that team was going to win the national championship, God’s honest truth. Not being biased at all,” he told KSR. “I’m just saying, the team we had was really well put together, we had all the pieces you need to win the national championship.”

What separated that group from the others, allowing Kentucky to claim its 49th SEC regular-season title by three games? Top-end talent and defense.

“I’d say one-on-one, just having three tough-nosed guards with Maxey, (Ashton) Hagans and (Immanuel) Quickley. All of those guys could start on any team in college,” Whitney continued. “Then you had EJ Montgomery, Keion Brooks (Jr.), Johnny Juzang, Nick Richards — a lot of guys that fit perfectly with each other. I felt like that team, we really got after it defensively. That was our calling card.”

Thing is, Whitney wouldn’t have been included in that group if the what-if became a reality, the former five-star watching from home as the confetti fell and the Wildcats lifted that trophy above their heads in Atlanta.

Appearing in 18 games with eight starts in Lexington, he packed his bags and left the program on January 24 to begin his professional career — “My time at Kentucky has not gone as I had hoped, and I therefore need to make a difficult decision quickly to put myself back into the best position possible as I continue to develop and work towards my ultimate goal,” Whitney announced at the time.

Life went on, both sides going their separate ways. Now, though, the former Wildcat is back in Lexington with La Familia to compete in The Basketball Tournament, hoping to use this time to get ‘back in the good graces with the fans’ after a rocky breakup a half-decade ago.

“It’s amazing, just being back here with the guys that paved the way for this program. It’s a great group of competitive guys,” Whitney told KSR. “I’m just excited to be around these guys and get an opportunity to play. … Just the program itself, my story — I know everybody knows I left. Just to come back and show love, try to win a championship.”

He wants to tell his story and the private details on his own terms, peeling back the curtain on his thought process and why he felt leaving Kentucky in January 2020 was the right decision at the time — that’s coming in a soon-to-be-released YouTube video on his own channel. Until then, though, he opened up on that short chapter of his life with KSR and the steps he’s taken since.

For starters, the departure. What pushed him away — in terms of what he’s ready to share now, at least?

“To really speak on it, I would just say it was a lot of uncertainty and telling me what I wanted to hear, basically,” Whitney said.

It may surprise you, but the way he left doesn’t ruin his overall experience and the feeling of a lifelong dream coming true. Knowing where he was before that point and how hard he worked to get there, the experience of wearing that Kentucky jersey for those 18 games is something no one can ever take away from him.

What we may see as a black eye and missed opportunity, he views as a blessing.

“I look back at it as a blessing, honestly,” he said. “Getting the opportunity to play here at Kentucky, getting a full scholarship, having a coach like John Calipari actually trust me and recruit me — I’m from the inner city of Chicago. It was a blessing to have this opportunity and play for this school.”

Whitney joins a La Familia team with all-time fan favorites, including the likes of Willie Cauley-Stein, Andrew and Aaron Harrison, Doron Lamb and DeAndre Liggins. Those guys experienced the highest of highs as Wildcats with Big Blue Nation wrapping its arms around them from start to finish — and every step along the way since.

Is it difficult for Whitney, knowing some of those hard feelings about how he chose to leave, not having the same level of support? He’s simply grateful for the fans he does have — especially in recent months since joining the Kentucky alumni squad for TBT.

“I wouldn’t say it’s incompleteness, because I still get a lot of love from the fans. It’s been amazing, the fans have been showing mad love and being very supportive,” he told KSR. “… It’s just a blessing to be here, it’s a blessing to have support from the fans. It feels like a cheat code having the fans on your side.”

There was a turning point in fan reception back in late May — a TikTok released by Whitney where he told the world, “I probably just needed a hug,” including a picture from his time at Kentucky and where he had been since, adding, “But instead I fell off mentally and had to gain it all back!!”

“All I can say is enjoy your journey! Enjoy the ups and downs,” he wrote at the time. “Staying on top of your mental health is key.”

Come to find out, Whitney was working security at a nightclub when he says he hit rock bottom, telling KSR injuries took him off the floor and forced him to take a real job. It wasn’t necessarily a cry for help, but a way to be vulnerable and transparent about life as a basketball player not always being sunshine and rainbows.

There are highs and there are lows. He had found a low.

“I was laying in my bed and I heard the TikTok sound, and I’m like, ‘I should just make a TikTok to tell the people what I’ve been doing in my life.’ Around that time, I was working security at a nightclub called Lobby (in New Jersey),” he told KSR. “I was hurt at the time, couldn’t really work out or anything, so I was forced to work a real job and clock in. So I just wanted to be transparent with everybody and let everybody see the ups and downs the journey is playing basketball at a high level.

“A lot of guys tend to shy away from it and not want to show people the real, but I’ve been pretty transparent since I picked up a basketball. I wanted real and to tell everybody the ups and downs, so that’s where that came from. I was sitting there putting a TikTok together and I didn’t know it was gonna get as much attention as it did, but I’m glad it blew up.

“I’m glad I got a good opportunity to play TBT out of it.”

Being back reminded him of some of those highs in Lexington. His favorite was that Champions Classic matchup against Michigan State in New York City, Maxey hitting the late dagger to earn the high-profile win inside Madison Square Garden.

“That was probably one of the best moments,” he said.

Off the floor, he remembers the local food all too well — some of the best he’s ever had, including two basketball staples still to this day.

“They were some of the toughest food spots I ever had — Jeff (Ruby’s) Steakhouse, Carson’s. I always loved Kentucky food,” Whitney continued.

The biggest difference between now and then? Money. Kids now are legally making millions of dollars while his generation and everyone before had to fight for table scraps.

Could that have changed how things ended for him at Kentucky? Certainly, especially considering the weight of getting to the NBA to support his family would have been lifted off his shoulders.

He could’ve just played basketball and let everything else take care of itself.

“It definitely would have made an impact, I definitely would have had a better peace of mind with the whole situation, knowing I would be financially okay,” he told KSR. “I wouldn’t have to stress about taking care of my family while I’m at school. That wouldn’t be an issue.

“It would be very — I feel like I would have been more relaxed here, not as urgent to get to the NBA.”

The past is in the past, though, and he can only control what he can control now. That’s why he’s back in Lexington with La Familia, ready to rewrite the story of his time in blue and white as much as he can today.

“To continue to connect and network with the people of Lexington and the fans of Kentucky, get my game better, continue to progress and connect with the guys here playing to win a championship,” Whitney said.

“That would be a great ending for me.”

It’s never too late to make things right, and that’s his goal.