Whitney, currently suiting up in the G League for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, joins Newfoundland ahead of their inaugural 2022 season. 

The Newfoundland Growlers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced today that the club has signed American forward Kahlil Whitney for the upcoming 2022 CEBL season.

A six-foot-six small forward from Chicago, Illinois, Whitney is currently suiting up in the NBA G League with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, minor league affiliate of the Houston Rockets. In 16 appearances this season, the 21-year-old is averaging 4.1 points and 1.6 rebounds in just 10 minutes per game for the Vipers.

Whitney turned pro last spring after spending his freshman season in the NCAA with the University of Kentucky. After declaring for the 2020 NBA Draft, he signed an ‘Exhibit 10’ deal with the Charlotte Hornets, ultimately landing with their G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, for the 2020-21 season. Whitney made nine appearances for Greensboro before being dealt to Rio Grande Valley this past October.

During his short time at Kentucky, Whitney showed plenty of promise as a young Wildcat, starting the first seven games of the season on a team projected as the second strongest in the country by AP’s pre-season poll. Before leaving the program on January 24, 2020 to pursue other opportunities, Whitney made 18 appearances for Kentucky, averaging 12.8 minutes, 3.3 points, and 1.7 rebounds per night.

Prior to beginning his collegiate career, Whitney attended Roselle Catholic High School in New Jersey for the final two years of his high school playing days. Averaging 19.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game as a Senior, he was named a McDonald's All-American for his efforts.

Whitney becomes the seventh player to sign with Newfoundland ahead of the upcoming 2022 season.

Season ticket deposits for the Growlers inaugural season are on sale now at growlersbasketball.ca Fans are kindly asked to email [email protected] for any questions or ticket related inquiries.

Newfoundland opens its season with a pair of weekend home games, beginning first on Friday, June 3 against the defending champion Edmonton Stingers, followed by a clash with the Ottawa BlackJacks on Sunday, June 5.

All CEBL regular season games will be live streamed on the free CBC Gem streaming service, cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices and CEBL+.

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