Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541276
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 5 4 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M K ayden Mingo was well on his way to having the best performance of his young career at Penn State. The point guard, named a captain as a true freshman after arriving as the highest-ranked recruit in program his- tory, was doing it all at New Haven. In the second game of the Nittany Li- ons' season, Mingo made his mark as a scorer, distributor and defender. In the process, he also demonstrated a qual- ity that head coach Mike Rhoades has quietly observed with pride. "He's very coachable. When he makes a mistake, he doesn't have an answer, an excuse," Rhoades said. "He wants to know the 'why' of everything. I've had other guys like that before, but he's high-level with that." Throughout the game, an 87-43 win on Nov. 8 that ranks as Penn State's most lopsided road victory in 50 years, Mingo dazzled. He finished second on the team in scoring, posting 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting, while adding 6 re- bounds, 6 assists and a steal. Still, Mingo also committed 2 turn- overs. They were ultimately harmless mistakes in a comfortable win, but his response was telling. "He tried to split a ball screen and had a turnover. He hasn't had many so far. I explained to him the coverage and all that," Rhoades recalled. "He's like, 'Yeah, you're right. Won't happen again, Coach.' That was his response. Not, 'Something was wrong.' "He's very mature for a freshman. He's really open to trying to get better in the 'why' and figuring things out. His desire to do it right in the moment and get better is really, really high." Given the early results, that potential could bode well both for Mingo and the Nittany Lions this season. 'It's A Blessing' The nation's No. 34-ranked recruit in the 2025 class, per the Rivals Industry Ranking, Mingo has lived up to that bill- ing out of the gate. Starting every out- ing — including two exhibition games and the Lions' first two regular-season contests — he's shown his abilities as a scorer, ball-handler and distributor. In his very first appearance, a 78-62 exhibition loss at Dayton, Mingo tied for the team-high in scoring with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, adding 4 assists and 3 rebounds. Then in an 86-67 exhi- bition win over Shippensburg in his first appearance at the Bryce Jordan Center, he was held to 9 points but led the Nit- tany Lions with 7 assists and a pair of steals. Those performances led into Penn State's opener, a 76-68 win over Fairfield on Nov. 3 in which Mingo played a key role in staving off the visitors' upset bid. He posted 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting while grabbing 5 rebounds to go with 2 assists in a team-high 34 minutes han- dling the point. Dismissing the notion that nerves or inexperience might affect his perfor- mance, Mingo expressed his apprecia- tion for the moment and his excitement coming out of it. "It's a blessing to get the opportunity as a freshman," he said. "But once you're out there, being a freshman really holds no weight. The first game, it was really fun being out there — fun and exciting. That's the most important thing." Although the sample size is small, Mingo's early-season performances suggest a prominent role in every major statistical category this season. Head- ing into Navy's visit to the BJC on Nov. 11, he was leading the team in scoring at 15.5 points per game and was second in rebounding with 5.5 boards per game, all while having played more minutes (62) than anyone on the roster. Calling Mingo "a rock" for the way he has handled himself, Rhoades suggested the debut was a preview of what's to come. Mingo plays with an edge, but also with composure, the coach said. He's a fixture in the practice gym, putting up extra shots the morning after a game, followed by a review of the tape — all by 10 a.m. Said Rhoades, "That's just how he is." The coach's assessment is shared by Penn State's players. Through a sum- FOLLOW THE LEADER Freshman guard Kayden Mingo has impressed both on and off the court NAT E BAU E R | N AT E . B A U E R @ O N 3 . C O M Date Opponent Time/TV Oct. 19 at Dayton (Exh.) L, 78-62 Oct. 26 SHIPPENSBURG (Exh.) W, 86-67 Nov. 3 FAIRFIELD W, 76-68 Nov. 8 at New Haven W, 87-43 Nov. 11 NAVY 6:30 p.m./BTN Nov. 15 La Salle* 1 p.m./Peacock Nov. 19 HARVARD 6:30 p.m. Nov. 22 Providence** 4 p.m./truTV Nov. 25 BOSTON U. 7 p.m./Peacock Nov. 29 SACRED HEART 6 p.m./Peacock Dec. 2 CAMPBELL 6 p.m./BTN Dec. 9 at Indiana 8:30 p.m./FS1 Dec. 13 MICHIGAN STATE Noon/BTN Dec. 21 Pitt^ Noon/BTN Dec. 29 N.C. CENTRAL 1 p.m./BTN Jan. 3 Illinois^^ 7 p.m./BTN Jan. 6 MICHIGAN 7 p.m./FS1 Jan. 10 at Purdue 2 p.m./BTN Jan. 14 UCLA 8:30 p.m./FS1 Jan. 18 at Maryland Noon/BTN Jan. 22 WISCONSIN 7 p.m./FS1 Jan. 26 at Ohio State 7 p.m./FS1 Jan. 29 at Northwestern 8 p.m./Peacock Feb. 1 MINNESOTA 2 p.m./Peacock Feb. 5 at Michigan 6:30 p.m./FS1 Feb. 8 USC Noon/BTN Feb. 11 at Washington 10:30 p.m./BTN Feb. 14 at Oregon 3 p.m./BTN Feb. 18 RUTGERS 6 p.m./BTN Feb. 21 at Nebraska 2 p.m./BTN Feb. 28 IOWA Noon/BTN Mar. 4 OHIO STATE 7:30 p.m./Peacock Mar. 8 at Rutgers Noon/BTN Mar. 10-15 Big Ten Tournament # TBA * at Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia ** Hall of Fame Showcase at Uncasville, Conn. ^ at Giant Center, Hershey, Pa. ^^ at the Palestra, Philadelphia # at United Center, Chicago 2025-26 MEN'S BASKETBALL