Scott Drew and the Baylor Bears won the commitment of former Penn State guard Kayden Mingo on Friday, according to multiple reports. He joins Liberty transfer Brett Decker Jr. as the second guard to commit to the Bears.
Mingo, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound native of Farmingdale, New York, hit the portal after Mike Rhoades led the Nittany Lions to just 12 wins last season. Mingo was Penn State’s second-leading scorer with 13.7 points, 4.3 assists and 3.5 boards per game in his collegiate debut.
Mingo was the fourth-ranked guard in the portal by 247Sports, and 29th overall.
Out of high school, Mingo was a four-star recruit, signing with Penn State over competing interest from Xavier, Georgia, Wake Forest and Notre Dame.
Headed for Waco, Texas, Mingo comes into the Drew system as a proven ballhandler and vigilant wing who routinely lends a hand in the assist column. Coming out of high school, this is what 247Sports analyst Adam Finkelstein said about Mingo’s outlook coming out of Long Island Lutheran High School:
“Mingo’s skill-set is solid, but there is still untapped upside in this area of his game,” Finkelstein said. “While he’s reliable with the ball in his hands (80 assists vs. 37 turnovers in EYBL play), that’s in large part because he doesn’t overcomplicate things. He’s often the second, or sometimes even third, ball-handler and could continue to progress his vision both when in attack mode and under pressure.”
Portal-wise, Baylor has gone largely unscathed save for former NBA Draft pick James Nnaji, who declared for the transfer portal following his freshman year. Isaac Williams IV and Juslin Bodo Bodo are both slated to return from their respective injuries.
Adding a Big Ten starter to Drew’s card deck doesn’t hurt, either.
