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Illinois Basketball: Top 4 class of 2019 targets for the Illini

By Rees Woodcock

MORGANTOWN, WV - FEBRUARY 04: Brad Underwood of Oklahoma State Cowboys yells at the referee against the West Virginia Mountaineers at the WVU Coliseum on February 4, 2017 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
MORGANTOWN, WV - FEBRUARY 04: Brad Underwood of Oklahoma State Cowboys yells at the referee against the West Virginia Mountaineers at the WVU Coliseum on February 4, 2017 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 06: Basketballs are shown in a ball rack before a semifinal game of the West Coast Conference Basketball Tournament between the Santa Clara Broncos and the Gonzaga Bulldogs at the Orleans Arena on March 6, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Gonzaga won 77-68. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

1. Kahlil Whitney

Since there will be so much room on the Illini team in 2019, I think Kahlil Whitney has to be one of the top priorities for Underwood and his coaching staff.

Whitney is a 6-foot-6, 190-pound small forward from Roselle Catholic High School in Roselle, New Jersey. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 52 player in the class of 2019 and the No. 13 small forward in the nation.

Originally, Whitney was from the Chicago, Illinois area and decided to transfer to Roselle Catholic because it is one of the best programs for basketball. But, he still plays for the Mac Irvin Fire AAU team that is located in Chicago. That is also the same AAU program as Ayo Dosunmu and Da’Monte Williams.

Illinois is going to need more size like Whitney when 2019 rolls around. I assume Whitney will grow a few more inches and finish around 6-foot-7 or 6-foot-8. That would make him a combination of a No. 3 or No. 4 on the Illini.

In 2019, Kipper Nichols would be a senior and that is it for the Illini. They won’t have anything else as of right now. That means Whitney would come in and start right away for Underwood. Illinois could use a player like Whitney. He would help continue the great recruiting momentum.

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