How Kayden Mingo Earned the Keys to Penn State Basketball

A rare freshman captain, Mingo quickly is becoming a star for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State Nittany Lions guard Kayden Mingo (4) dribbles the ball toward the basket as Michigan State Spartans guard Divine Ugochukwu (99) defends during the first half at Bryce Jordan Center. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

STATE COLLEGE | Penn State men’s basketball doesn’t have the veteran players of years past, but it does have freshman Kayden Mingo, the highest-ranked recruit in program history and the 2025 New York Gatorade Player of the Year. 

“The expectations are what they’re going to be. I can’t really control that,” Mingo said before taking the court for the first time this season. “All I can do is go out there, play my game and focus on what’s in front of me. I just want to go out there and win for Penn State.”

Through 11 games, including Penn State’s first two Big Ten opponents, Mingo is living up to those expectations. He leads the team in minutes, scoring (15 points per game), assists and steals. While the Nittany Lions fell short of upsetting the No. 9 Michigan State Spartans on Dec. 13, Mingo nearly had a triple-double with 11 points, a career-high eight assists and seven rebounds. He received plenty of praise after the game from Michigan State coach Tom Izzo.

“Yeah, I’m a Mingo fan,” Izzo said after the Spartans’ 76-72 win. “He just keeps his tail here and does his job and he is going to be a fan favorite here because he can do a lot of different things. He seems to have great intelligence and he’s a competitor. For a freshman 11 games in, that’s pretty good, man.”

Mingo, who will lead Penn State against Pitt on Sunday in Hershey, is one of the highest-scoring freshmen in the Big Ten. He was named the Big Ten freshman of the week after scoring 14 and 13 points, respectively, in wins over Boston University and Sacred Heart. 

Mingo scored a career-high 24 points vs. Harvard, 21 against Campbell and 19 points in his Big Ten debut vs. Indiana. He also tied the program’s single-game record with eight steals against Sacred Heart.

“He’s going to make plays for us. We want an attacking point guard all of the time,” Penn State coach Mike Rhoades said. He’s only going to get better. He’s really hard on himself to get better. … I wish he wasn’t, but usually the good ones are. But he’s continually understanding what needs to be done to try to win college basketball games.”

With Mingo leading a group of eight freshmen, Penn State has the youngest team in the Big Ten. Yet Mingo earned the keys to the offense before the season even began.

“When he got here, he just took off and not just his work ethic in the gym and in the weight room, but the type of teammate he wanted to be,” Rhoades said. “He’s a guy that’s going to have the ball in his hands.”

Mingo quickly becomes a leader

Penn State Nittany Lions guard Kayden Mingo (4) dribbles the ball around Michigan State Spartans guard Divine Ugochukwu (99) during the second half at Bryce Jordan Center. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

When Rhoades took the head coaching job at Penn State, Ace Baldwin Jr. came with him from VCU to play point guard for two seasons. With Baldwin, a five-year college player, gone, Rhoades turned to a freshman in Mingo. 

“I feel like it was a day-in, day-out type of process, just coming in and showing that I’m trustworthy of having the keys,” Mingo said. “It’s really a blessing that coach and all my teammates trust me with the keys and are able to put the ball in my hands.”

Mingo also quickly became a leader at Penn State, as he was named a team captain. He’s very vocal on the court and doesn’t spend much time on the bench. Mingo played 34 minutes against Michigan State and averages 30 per game.  

“He has a really good feel,” Rhoades said. “I always say to him, he’d be a heck of a quarterback because he could run the huddle but also make plays with the ball in his hands. I think just from day one, he just jumped in here.”

Added redshirt junior guard Freddie Dilione V, “He has a great game. He facilitates really well. Kayden is just going to be Kayden. Same thing with all these freshmen; they’re all going to be good. Kayden, he really stands out just being vocal and playing like an older guy.”

Mingo is just getting started

Penn State Nittany Lions guard Kayden Mingo (4) shoots the ball during the first half against the Michigan State Spartans at Bryce Jordan Center. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Where Mingo wants to improve is shooting from the field. He’s making 48 percent of his shots but is 7-for-25 from 3-point range. Mingo admitted that he’s a better shooter “than what the numbers show” and that he’s still building his confidence. His teammates are helping with that process. 

“They tell me to shoot sometimes when I don’t even think I’m open,” Mingo said. 

“He cares so much and he’s such a pleaser that he takes it upon himself, and I think sometimes when he misses or something doesn’t go his way, he feels like he’s letting everybody down,” Rhoades added. “But it’s the complete opposite.”

Mingo has connected well with Melih Tunca, the freshman guard from Istanbul, Turkey. Tunca is averaging 12.1 points per game, making Penn State one of six Division I teams with two freshmen averaging at least 12. 

“Having Melih by my side is really good, you know, having another point guard who can play on and off the ball and make plays the same way I can,” Mingo said. “It feels great knowing that the ball doesn’t have to be in my hands 24/7 and I got Melih there and he can have it sometimes more than me.” 

In late October, Mingo was named an ESPN Top 50 Newcomer for the trust he quickly earned within the program. But for those who play alongside him, it wasn’t surprising. 

“I feel like that’s him as a person,” Dillione V said. “That’s his personality, just leadership.” 

Added senior guard Josh Reed, who transferred to Penn State after playing three years at Cincinnati, “His leadership out there and his ability to score but also make plays for others, it really helps our team. He just has that kind of maturity at such a young age, it’s rare to see, but it’s definitely going to help us this year.”

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