The No. 2 ranked player in Kentucky’s heralded 2019 basketball recruiting class is leaving the UK program. Kahlil Whitney made the announcement on Friday, writing that, “I must continue to do what I know is best for my future.”

The 6-foot-6 wing was ranked the No. 11 overall player by 247Sports in the Class of 2019. Only guard Tyrese Maxey was ranked higher in Kentucky’s five-man signing class, which was ranked second nationally. 

Whitney started the first seven games of the season, averaging 5.6 points and 2.7 rebounds in 19.6 minutes per game before seeing his role reduced. Since league play began, Whitney was averaging just seven minutes per game as the Wildcats jumped out to a 5-1 mark in the Southeastern Conference. Whitney totaled just four minutes over UK’s last two games.

“We’ve got to get Kahlil going,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said on Thursday’s SEC coaches teleconference. “He’s got to get in there and do some things and get that feel going for what he has to do for our team to get in there and play.”

Whitney wrote in a Twitter post announcing his departure that his decision came after “several conversations with my family and coaching staff.”

“Like so many others, playing at UK had always been a dream of mine,” Whitney wrote. “I truly believed Coach Calipari and his program, was the best fit to assist in preparing me for that next step in my basketball career. 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 the best position possible as I continue to develop and work towards my ultimate goal.”