Top 50 guard picks Penn State, boosting Class of 2025 haul

Penn State basketball head coach Mike Rhoades and his staff have cemented the deal on a highly coveted Class of 2025 prospect. Announcing his decision on Friday morning, On3 Industry Ranking four-star guard Kayden Mingo chose to continue to his college career with the Nittany Lions.

Mingo, an honor roll student at Long Island (NY) Lutheran, is the No. 44-ranked overall prospect in the Class of 2025. The 6-foot-1 point guard picked Penn State over a final four that also included Georgia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest. His agent revealed Thursday that his final two choices were down to the Nittany Lions and Demon Deacons.

Should he maintain his current status, Mingo will be the highest-ranked prospect to ever join the Penn State men’s basketball program.

“Next year I will be attending Penn State,” Mingo said on The Breakfast Club radio program in New York. “I felt like it was the best fit, best opportunity, and also the best relationships with the coaches. It’s the place I could thrive the most.”

Penn State picks up huge Class of 2025 commitment

Mingo took visits to St. Joseph’s and Notre Dame, then checked out the Nittany Lions the first weekend in September. That visit was followed by trips to Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, and Georgia. A scheduled visit to Xavier was subsequently canceled.

Coming out of his trip to Happy Valley, Mingo detailed to On3 the positive impressions he gained while spending time checking out the program’s facilities, campus, and the vision Penn State’s coaching staff had for him.

“The visit was excellent overall. The energy at Penn State is second to none,” said Mingo. “The program is great, I really enjoyed watching their practice. The facilities were beautiful and they really impressed me also. The coaches told me they plan on me coming in and they want me to be their point guard and run the show.”

Strong relationships solidify Penn State, Kayden Mingo standing

Last year, he put up 15.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists at Long Island (N.Y.) Lutheran. He also hit 54 percent from the floor and 44 percent from 3-point range, according to reports. Citing the strength of his relationships with Penn State’s staff, Mingo detailed the connection that led to his visit to Happy Valley this fall.

“I like the winning that Coach (Mike) Rhoades has done throughout his career,” Mingo told On3’s Jamie Shaw. “We have a really good relationship with Coach Rhodes, Coach (Jamal) Brunt, and Coach (Jimmy) Martelli, and I trust them a lot. I’m talking to one of them all the time. I also like how they play with their guards. They’re tough and they play real gritty, and they win basketball games.

“They go after hard-nosed guards whose main focus is winning. If you keep winning, everything else will come along with it. They’re able to score, lock up defensively, and make plays. The Big Ten is a great conference and I believe they’re going to be winning a lot of games.”

Kayden Mingo sets recruiting priorities

Mingo, a high-priority target of Rhoades and his staff for the past two years, especially came into focus last summer as the Penn State program put him under a full-court press.

Through the process, a set of priorities emerged as he considered his choices.

“I want to go to a school that is the right fit,” Mingo told On3. “Play for a coach will let me be myself and someone who will believe in me. Academics will be big for me… I’ll want to play somewhere I can win and somewhere I know can develop me for the next level.

“I’ll look at the playstyle as well. I think playing in a free-flowing system that plays through its guards is a good fit for me.”

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