2/19/2024 basketball Edit

Kayden Mingo stepping up as a leader on a loaded team

Jason Jordan • Basketball Recruiting

Staff

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – It’s not that Kayden Mingo was setting out to be the leading scorer on the No. 2 high school team in the country, Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.), but the 6-foot-3 point guard wasn’t surprised when that became his reality this season.

“I’m very confident in my ability, and I put in a lot of work,” said Mingo, a junior. “We’ve got a lot of talent on this team.”

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2024 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2025 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team

2026 Rankings: Top 65

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The level of which makes his standing as leading scorer even more impressive.

First, Mingo shares the backcourt with V.J. Edgecombe, a Baylor commit who is ranked No. 5 overall in the Rivals150, plus his current 17.6 points per game average is nearly three times the production he managed last season.

In the Crusaders’ 70-61 win over No. 8 Brewster Academy on Saturday night, Mingo led all scorers with 17 points.

“The biggest things I learned from last season playing with V.J. and all those guys was being consistent and playing with confidence,” Mingo said. “You have to believe in yourself and actually do the things that you work on, because what’s the point of working on them if you’re not gonna do them. More than anything, it’s about bringing that energy on both ends. It’s a whole different type of mentality.”

The mental shift has given Mingo quite an impressive list of potential college suitors. Ole Miss, Washington and Old Dominion have all recently begun to apply pressure trying to lure Mingo.

Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Virginia, Georgetown, Wake Forest, SMU, Penn State, California, St. Louis and Virginia Tech continue to reach out.

“I only had three offers coming into this season,” said Mingo, who added that he’s planning to visit Wake Forest, Penn State and Virginia Tech after the season. “My coaches and my family always kept telling me to keep my head down and keep working; just stay consistent. Now, things are moving.

"Me and my dad sit down and watch the different teams to study their styles and see how well I’d fit with what they do. It’s been a pretty cool process so far. That just makes me want to go harder every day.”

Mingo doesn’t mind admitting that even though he hails from Long Island, his rooting interest was rooted in Texas.

“Toward middle school I was a big fan of Baylor,” Mingo said. “I remember watching Jared Butler and Davion Mitchell. I just liked their style and everything like that. Of course, that’s an offer I want, but the only thing I focus on is how hard I work and what I’m doing to help my team win. That takes care of everything.”