Penn State Nittany Lions head basketball coach Mike Rhoades didn’t hide his confidence when it comes to Kayden Mingo and the idea of getting him back on the floor.
If anything, Rhoades’ comments reflect a coach who knows exactly who he’s dealing with, and he trusts the player as much as anyone.
Mingo’s absence has been felt. Penn State’s backcourt energy, ball pressure, and offense all change when he’s not out there. He’s currently dealing with a broken nose and has missed the last two games.
Still, Rhoades made it clear that this isn’t about rushing anything in the process.
“He's pretty mature beyond his years, so he'll follow the plan,” Rhoades said, per 247 Sports. “Until you get back on the court and start moving around and say, Man, I can sweat now, I can touch the ball, you just get going. I think his instincts will take over, but when you have an injury that keeps you out, your adjustment more is all right, follow the plan, when can I come back? When it's time to come back, just work your way back into it.
‘Knowing him, he'll want to jump head first into it. Don't recommend that. But definitely find a rhythm to get him back into the swing of things, and get your feet on me and all that stuff. That's part of being a college athlete. Everyone's gonna deal with injuries. You just gotta [do] what's best for you and follow the plan from the trainers and the doctors.’”
From everything we’ve heard out of State College, Mingo is wired to compete. He wants to be out there and will be once he’s ready to go.
Penn State needs Mingo, but it needs him healthy, more importantly. Mingo looked like one of the top freshmen in the country before this injury, and with how poorly Penn State has played on both sides of the basketball, it obviously needs him on the court at some point throughout the rest of the year.
However, it's also more important that the youngster finds a way to get healthy. He'll likely be back for another year, unless he hits the transfer portal, so Penn State should view this as a long-term investment and not a short-term one.