Five-star New York basketball recruit commits to UNC

Duke fans look away.

The top-ranked high school basketball recruit in New York state, Dylan Mingo, has committed to play college basketball at North Carolina.  

Mingo is a consensus five-star recruit and the No. 9 overall prospect in the class of 2026, per SCNEXT, starring at Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville. His brother, Kayden, is currently a freshman at Penn State.

The 6-foot-5 combo guard chose UNC over Baylor, Washington, and Penn State. Mingo joins a growing list of premier prospects that head coach Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels have secured in four consecutive recruiting classes.

Mingo made the announcement live on ESPN’s “First Take” on Tuesday morning. 

“I felt like now was the right time,” Mingo told Stephen A. Smith on national television.

“And what made it the right time for the decision is seeing Caleb Wilson and Seth Trimble wear the North Carolina blue on their chest with so much pride. It shows the true culture they have there.”

The likelihood that Mingo and Wilson share the court together is zero-to-none.

Wilson has soared up NBA draftboards and, before being sidelined with a hand injury. He was averaging a team-best 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.

His impressive play as a freshman was enough to convince Mingo to choose Carolina blue and defer from joining his older brother on the Nittany Lions.

“I chose North Carolina for North Carolina itself.”

Mingo is a versatile guard who possesses a 6-foot-10 wingspan. Last summer, he garnered scouts’ attention when he took home MVP of the NBA Top 100 Camp. His final numbers against some of the top competition in his class were 23.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6.8 assists.

The last time a five-star guard out of New York took his talents down I-95 to Carolina was current St. John’s standout Ian Jackson.

Mingo hopes that his tenure with the Tar Heels ends a little better than Jackson’s, who ended up hitting the transfer portal after just one season.

“I feel like from day one my role will be a player who impacts winning in every aspect. Honestly, I am just a person who will give it his all to win a national championship.”

Championship aspirations before setting foot on campus, this kid has some pretty high standards.