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HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS: Brooklyn hoop stars Whitehead, Carrington sign with Seton Hall

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By Joseph Staszewski

Brooklyn Daily

Khadeen Carrington wanted some help after he became a part of the recruiting class tasked with turning things around at Seton Hall University.

The Bishop Loughlin guard immediately became part of the full-court press to bring friend and Abraham Lincoln star Isaiah Whitehead to South Orange, N.J. with him. Carrington text-messaged Whitehead after he verbally committed and told him to make it happen. Whitehead wasn’t convinced, but Carrington stayed at it.

“He was on me heavy,” Whitehead said with smile.

Carrington’s mother, Lima Dufont, even began lobbying for Seton Hall to Ericka Rambert, Whitehead’s mother.

“He was like, ‘ma I got to get him,’ ” DuFont said. “He was on the phone with him and I was on the phone with his mom. I knew the kind of kid that Isaiah is. He is very much similar to Khadeen in personality.”

Through the efforts of Pirates coach Kevin Willard and his staff, and with a little nudge from Carrington, Whitehead eventually picked Seton Hall over St. John’s. It made the partnership a reality and both signed their respective National Letters of Intents on Friday to make it official.

“You don’t have to give me the credit, but I was putting in work too,” Carrington said.

Whitehead is viewed as a higher-level prospect — a program-changer and likely McDonald’s All-American — but there are similarities between the two guards. Each played four years for a single high school, a rarity for New York City players of their caliber in an age of multiple transfers and prep schools.

Both Carrington and Whitehead, who have known each other since the seventh grade, have also had to deal with the pressure of being their team’s star from their freshmen year.

Whitehead’s anticipated arrival has already excited the Pirates fan base. At the school’s Midnight Madness, six Seton Hall students painted letters on their chests to spell out “Isaiah.” Whitehead said it was a weird tribute, but it reaffirmed that he had made the right decision.

“They were treating me like I was there already, like I was part of the team,” Whitehead said. “That was one of the reasons why I chose the school.”

Both players and their families are happy that the process is over with, and are ready to focus on their senior seasons. Whitehead is looking to lead Lincoln to a second straight Public School Athletic League Class AA city title and Carrington will try to help Loughlin win its first Catholic High School Athletic Association Class AA Intersectional crown since 1992, along with Rutgers commit Mike Williams.

“I’m happy it’s over,” Rambert said. “It’s final. He will definitely be going to Seton Hall. The phone calls have stopped.”

The expectation, though, will continue to heighten for the nationally ranked recruiting class that includes Huntington Prep’s (West Va.) Angel Delgado and Newark East Side’s Ismael Sanogo. Whitehead and Carrington will be a big part of the high hopes at Seton Hall.

“That’s going to be a dynamic duo,” Bishop Loughlin coach Ed Gonzalez said. “That’s going to be hard to reckon with. It will be very interesting. Two kids from Brooklyn, tough kids at that are not afraid to go there in the trenches.”

Reach reporter Joseph Staszewski at jstaszewski@cnglocal.com. Follow him on twitter @cng_staszewski.

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