The concerns that led to UNC parting ways with five-star guard Dylan Mingo

North Carolina made the surprising decision to part ways with incoming five-star point guard Dylan Mingo, moving on from a blue-chip recruit despite major turnover in its backcourt.

The Tar Heels lost most of their guards this offseason: Seth Trimble exhausted his eligibility, while Luka Bogavac, Derek Dixon, Kyan Evans and Jonathan Powell all entered the transfer portal. Bogavac committed to Oklahoma State and Dixon to Arizona.

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Given the lack of returning experience, why would new coach Michael Malone move on from a touted freshman? The answer, according to program insiders, comes down to injury concerns, shooting questions and a revamped approach to NIL spending.

Why UNC moved on

PSA Cardinals’ Dylan Mingo (2) shoots the ball during a game at Nike EYBL at the Memphis Sports & Events Center on Saturday, May 17, 2025.

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.”

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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. 247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein noted that Mingo shot just 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 NIL 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…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/concerns-led-unc-parting-ways-180039994.html

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Publish date : 2026-04-17 18:00:00

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