A former North Carolina five-star commit found a new home after decommitting following the coaching change in Chapel Hill.
Dylan Mingo, the No. 1 point guard in the country according to 247Sports, committed to Baylor. His decision came days after his older brother, Kayden, pledged to the Bears and weeks after the Tar Heels made the surprising decision to part ways with the touted freshman. It’s not surprising Mingo chose to join his older brother at Baylor. The two had discussed playing together next season.
What shocked many was UNC and new coach Michael Malone cutting ties with the blue-chip prospect. According to Andrew Jones and David Sisk of TarHeel247, the move wasn’t as surprising given Malone’s concerns about Mingo’s injury history, shooting issues and sizable NIL commitment, which they broke down on their YouTube show, “The Heel Report.”
Andrew Jones and David Sisk of TarHeel247 broke down the decision on their YouTube show, “The Heel Report.”
“There were several factors at play,” Jones said. “The new staff is a new staff. Mingo was set to consume a lot of the revenue share, and he’s been injured. There’s not a lot of guarantees regarding what he could add to UNC as a freshman. He still has a lot of work to do to be a player who could play at this level. It was a business and basketball decision.”
Mingo missed most of his senior year of high school with an ankle injury and has yet to prove he can consistently space the floor. Adam Finkelstein, 247Sports’ director of scouting, noted Mingo shot 23% from 3-point range in 13 EYBL games and has unorthodox mechanics, beginning with his catch-and-load into the shot. Those issues, combined with his name, image and likeness licensing price tag, raised concerns among evaluators.
“I was talking to an individual who does recruiting analysis and scouting reports,” Sisk said. “He said he couldn’t understand why UNC would pay that much for a guy who’s had all his injuries. I was told last summer that NBA scouts were a little bit concerned because he is so bow-legged, and it’s led to injuries. Talent isn’t an issue, but there are short-term and long-term injury concerns.”
“UNC has a head coach who operated under a salary cap,” Jones added. “If Mingo isn’t worth what he was set to make, why pay him?
North Carolina also targeted veteran lead guards in the transfer portal who can start immediately at a similar cost, signaling a broader financial reset under Malone. That player was Terrence Brown, who averaged nearly 20 points per game at a Big 12 school in Utah. UNC also added former NC State shooting guard Matt Able, who has shown he can consistently score from long range.
Family dynamics also factored into the equation. Both Mingo brothers wanted to play together, and Kayden Mingo was the second-leading scorer at Penn State as a freshman, though he shot just 24.4% from 3-point range. A backcourt featuring both brothers would have paired two young guards with similar shooting limitations. It was difficult to envision that combination thriving in Malone’s first season in Chapel Hill.
