Kahlil Whitney is a true cautionary tale in modern college basketball.
The young man was a five-star McDonald's All-American. He had all the talent in the world when he arrived at Kentucky in 2019. But the pressure ultimately got to him, and he had a very real mental health situation that he has since been incredibly open and honest about. He packed his bags and left the program in January of 2020 to begin his professional career.
There was no ill will between then-head coach John Calipari and Whitney, who both understood this was going to be his way of committing to the professional route. That was always his ultimate goal.
But that dream quickly faded, and now he is ready to make his unprecedented comeback to college basketball.
That's right. Much like James Nnaji and Charles Bediako before him, Whitney will look to return to the college ranks, and his story is one I think we will see a lot more of in the next few years.
Whitney has been on a tour after going pro
After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft, Whitney bounced all around the professional basketball landscape, trying to find his footing and get his career jump-started.
He spent time in the NBA G League with the Greensboro Swarm, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, and the Windy City Bulls. When the NBA route didn't pan out, he spent the last few years globetrotting, playing professionally in Canada, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Croatia, New Zealand, and most recently for the Suke Lions in the China Basketball League.
But when he saw James Nnaji come back to play for Baylor, and Charles Bediako attempt to return to Alabama, Whitney decided it was his turn to see if he could come back. He took to X and posted the following:
"Recruitment officially open," Whitney posted to social media on Wednesday. "With NCAA rules continuing to evolve, I’m exploring all options. Looking for the right program ready to take on the reinstatement process. Let’s work."
Now, of course, there will be massive legal and logistical challenges. Just because he has the intent of coming back does not mean he will automatically be allowed to, nor should it.
One thing is pretty clear, do not expect a reunion at Kentucky
Even if Whitney does magically get his eligibility reinstated, do not look for Kentucky to be heavily involved this go-around.
Mark Pope has been pretty critical of players who have forgone their eligibility returning to the college game. When specifically asked about the Charles Bediako situation, before Bediako was ultimately ruled ineligible by a judge, Pope said he thought the NCAA should aggressively use the power it had to not select teams for the postseason that knowingly violated the rules.
Personally, I don't really like players who have extensive professional experience being able to come back either. I think a lot of times it is just a way for these guys to come in and cash in on NIL. Do you think anyone would come back to school if they were not allowed to use NIL?
Maybe that could be an answer, if you do come back to school after playing professionaly you do not have any NIL, nor can you take payments from the school beyond a scholarship. Would they still want to come back then?
College baseball has the best path forward
I would love for it to be structured similarly to college baseball: commit to three years, or go to the professional draft. If you do play professionally in Europe or elsewhere, that money should have to be put into a blind trust that you cannot touch until you are sure you no longer want to go to college. Or you could even go the payback route, if you want to join a school, you will need to pay back every cent of your professional contract(s).
I don't know that the NCAA will ever actually do this. Whitney may very well win his battle and get to play college basketball again. But sooner or later, there has to be a hard line drawn in the sand on this eligibility issue.
Where that line lands is what we all desperately need to know.