By 2026, the Illinois basketball team will need a point guard, and we are now in the game for one of the top recruits.
The Illini are doing some great work with players who can distribute the basketball. Right now, we have players like Kasparas Jakucionis and Kylan Boswell who can move the ball around the court and create for others.
Both players are going to be gone by the time the 2026-27 season rolls around. We will reminisce about the great team of 2024-25 a couple of years from now. Hopefully, Illinois can put an equally good team on the court with someone like Dylan Mingo leading the way.
Mingo is a 6-foot-5, 170-pound point guard from Long Island Lutheran High School in New York. He is rated as a five-star recruit and ranked as the No. 11 player in the class of 2026. He is also the No. 3 point guard in the country and the best player coming out of New York.
Just over a week ago, Mingo took to social media to announce that he had received a scholarship offer from Illinois. Sadly, we aren’t the only program to pursue the talented point guard.
Blessed and honored to receive an offer from The University of Illinois! #AGTG pic.twitter.com/COmEut8eZB
— Dylan Mingo (@_Dylanmingo) December 22, 2024
Mingo has numerous scholarship offers on the table right now. Roughly 11 teams have extended an offer with more surely to come.
Dylan Mingo is the real deal, and Illinois basketball is going to be in a fight to land this five-star recruit
The first thing that stands out to me about Mingo’s game is how smooth he is on the court. The game comes easy to him, and he has a calmness to his game like Ayo Dosumnu.
I also love the size Mingo has already. He still has two seasons of high school basketball to play, so there is a chance he will grow to 6-foot-6 or bigger. That is dangerous.
Lastly, I want to note that Mingo can make shots at all levels. He can shoot from three-point range, but he can also drive to the hoop and into the lane and make buckets. This kid is going to be a really good college player.