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Illinois Basketball: Getting in Kahlil Whitney’s top 8 is a must for Illini

By Rees Woodcock

PISCATAWAY, NJ - FEBRUARY 25: Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood during the first half of the College Basketball Game between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 25, 2018, at the Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
PISCATAWAY, NJ - FEBRUARY 25: Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood during the first half of the College Basketball Game between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 25, 2018, at the Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Kahlil Whitney watch if officially on as the Illinois basketball team hopes to make his top list this week.

On Saturday night, Whitney took to Twitter to announce he will be cutting his list down. He says this list will be cut next week – between Sunday, July 15 and Saturday, July 21 – and he will be narrowing the teams vying for him to just eight programs.

I have stressed this so much in the past and I continue to stress it today. Whitney should be and likely is the top priority in the class of 2019 for the Illini. This kid was a superstar when he wasn’t in the top 50 and is still the same player and is only getting better even where he is ranked today.

Whitney is a 6-foot-7, 195-pound small forward from Roselle Catholic High School in Roselle, New Jersey. He is rated as a five-star recruit who is the No. 23 player in the class of 2019. Illinois has been after him for as long as I can remember, and now other programs are coming after him strong.

Just this weekend, Whitney and his Mac Irvin Fire AAU program played in the Peach Invitational. His team went 3-1 for the tournament, and he played lights out. Whitney finished the four games averaging 22.2 points, 10 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. He also shot 47.9-percent from the field, 75-percent from the free throw line and 37.5-percent from three-point land.

This is why I stress Whitney is a must-get for 2019. Illinois needs to dump every resource they have into this kid. He would join Ayo Dosunmu and Trent Frazier in creating one of the best teams in college basketball. Illinois would compete for the Big Ten crown in 2019 and likely be, at least, a Sweet 16 team.

Next: Illini need to land 2 of the 5 recruits on this list

Illinois and their fans have a big week ahead of them. We need to get into the top eight for Whitney. That is step one. Step two is to close the deal and become a better team with his commitment. This can happen, and I believe it will.

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