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Freshman forward Kahlil Whitney announced Friday that he is departing Kentucky’s program after seeing his playing time decreased.

The five-star recruit started the first seven games of the season and eight times overall but has played just 53 minutes over the past eight games. He saw three minutes of action in Tuesday’s game against Georgia and one minute in last Saturday’s contest with Arkansas.

“I truly believed Coach (John) Calipari and his program, was the best fit to assist in preparing me for that next step in my basketball career,” Whitney wrote in a note posted on Twitter. “Unfortunately, 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 in to the best position possible as I continue to develop and work towards my ultimate goal.”

Thank You?? Next chapter???? pic.twitter.com/P3z1RNzHa8

— Kahlil The Dragon Whitney (@KahlilWhitney) January 24, 2020

The 6-foot-6 Whitney was a McDonald’s All-American in high school but averaged just 3.3 points and 1.7 rebounds with the Wildcats. He shot 37.1 percent from the field and just 43.5 percent from the free-throw line.



Whitney averaged 22.8 minutes of playing time over Kentucky’s first four games. He averaged 6.3 points in those contests before the playing time began decreasing.

“I’ve realized since high school that the business of basketball waits for no one and sometimes tough choices need to be made in order to progress,” Whitney said. “I’ve worked extremely hard over the past several years to become an elite player, and now, as unconventional as it may seem, I must continue to do what I know is best for my future.”

This is tough for me because @KahlilWhitney is a tremendous person who is going to do great things. I certainly don’t want to see him go because I wanted to continue to coach him, but I understand his decision and, as we always do here, will support him in whatever way we can. https://t.co/vtjdXImKHP

— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) January 24, 2020

–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)