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Signing Dosunmu could help Illini with 2019 forward Khalil Whitney

MORE: The Block I Report | Underwood adds key piece | Illini ink Dosunmu

With 5-star guard Ayo Dosunmu signed, Illinois is pushing hard for 2019 small forward Kahlil Whitney from Roselle (NJ) Catholic, Dosunmu’s AAU teammate on the Mac Irvin Fire.

Whitney says he has no plans to make an early decision, but he acknowledges that the Illini coaches have made him a priority.

“I will say Illinois is recruiting me very hard right now,” he said. “Coach Underwood and Chin Coleman are doing most of the recruiting. They came out to see me workout at an open gym.”

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The Chicago connection runs deep with Whitney. His Illini recruiter Chin Coleman previously coached for the Mac Irvin Fire program and Whitney is originally from Chicago where he attended Solorio High School.

Landing the top player in Chicago-land could have a ripple effect for Illinois. Now that he has inked his NLI, Dosunmu is selling Whitney on teaming up in Champaign.

“I do talk to Ayo and he talks to me about joining him at Illinois,” Whitney said. “One of the reasons he picked Illinois and why I like them too is because they play fast. Getting up and down the court and running is what I like and him too.”

Rivals.com ranks Whitney the No. 79 prospect in the class of 2018. Other offers include UConn, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Oregon, Syracuse, and numerous others. He took visits over the summer to east coast schools Georgetown, St. John's, and Syracuse.

Whitney also made a stop at Illinois in July, where he spent some time getting to know the Illinois staff and learning more about the school. He has his eye on Illinois this basketball season and wants to see how they perform on the court.

“Illinois is a great program and they are now starting to get more recruits,” he said. “I love the coaching staff. We have a pretty good relationship. But I’m still going to wait and see how the season goes next year with the entire program before anything.”

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