Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on Rivals.com, the leader in college football and basketball recruiting coverage. Be the first to know and follow your teams by signing up here.
Coming into the circuit season, Kayden Mingo was very tactical with his approach.
His main focus was built around growing as a playmaker and point guard in all facets as he steps out of the shadows produced by playing alongside VJ Edgecombe for multiple years and embraces his role as a leader.
By August, Mingo was one of the Nike EYBL’s most offensively efficient scorers, draining 1.06 points per possession and averaging 18.1 points a game this summer leading the PSA Cardinals.
“I feel like my game grew in a lot of ways for sure,” Mingo said. “The biggest thing for me was growing as a leader and making my teammates better. I want to be able to change the game for not just myself but my teammates, so I feel like the mental part of my game has grown a lot.”
*****
2025 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2026 Rankings: Rivals150
Transfer Portal: Full coverage | Player ranking | Transfer tracker | Player search
*****
If the logjam of college coaches at his games this summer was any indication, the pursuit of the 6-foot-4 point guard has only intensified.
As it stands he’s set to visit Penn State, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Xavier and Georgia, but said he’s remaining open for now.
“It’s all about fit for me,” Mingo said. “Of course I want to be at a place that feels like home and a place where I’m close with the coaching staff, but the biggest factor will be the fit.”
That won’t minimize the stress for Mingo, his adaptable style makes him a perfect fit for most systems with his three-level scoring ability and dominance as a playmaker.
On the defensive end, Mingo, who checks in at No. 43 overall in the Rivals150, is a bulldog of a full-court defender with great anticipation in the passing lanes.
“I’m thinking I would like to have my decision out of the way before my season starts in November,” Mingo said. “I’m just going into all of the visits looking to see everything and get all of the information and just build the relationships with the different staffs. I feel like you can learn a lot from them, so I’m just staying open.”