SoCalHoops Recruiting News

Wyoming Signs Two, Chad Brown
& Ronnell Mingo--(May 4, 2000)

The University of Wyoming announced a few days ago that Ronnel Mingo (6'-9" So. PF/C) and Chad Brown (6'-4" So. SG/SF) have both signed LOI's with the Cowboys.   Brown is a native of the Chino area who played high school basketball at Don Lugo HS, and then played two years of JUCO ball, first at Citrus in Glendora and then at Chaffey.  Brown did not compete last season while he completed his AA degree in order to preserve two full seasons of eligibility at the D-I level.

Mingo played the last two seasons at Compton City College where he was highly recruited by a number of schools.  Mingo played high school ball for Sam Sullivan at LA Fremont High School where he was selected First Team All-City selection, averaged 25 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots per game.

Here's the official press release from Wyoming confirming the official signings:

Chad Brown And Ronell Mingo Sign With Cowboy Basketball Program

6-4, 185-pound guard/forward and 6-9, 230-pound forward/center bring UW signee total to six.

May. 1, 2000

LARAMIE, Wyo. - University of Wyoming head basketball coach Steve McClain announced on Monday the signing of Chad Brown from Chaffey College (Calif.) and Ronell Mingo of Compton Community College (Calif.) to national letters-of-intent. 

Chad Brown is a 6-4, 185-pound guard/forward, who averaged 17 points, five rebounds and seven assists per game for the 1998-99 season. He shot 46 percent from the field and 39 percent from the three-point arc, while earning First Team All-Foothill Conference honors for head coach Nerses Kapalyan. Brown played his freshman season at Citrus Community College in Glendora, Calif., where he averaged 25 points, six rebounds and five assists. He was a First Team All-Foothill Conference selection as a freshman, as well. He did not compete during the 1999-2000 season as he was completing his associate of arts degree at Chaffey Community College. 

As a high school senior at Don A. Lugo High School in Chino, Calif., he averaged 22.3 points, six rebounds and five assists for head coach Steve Hebert. Brown can play three positions -- point guard, two guard and small forward. 

He is the son of Adrienne and Clarence Brown of Chino, Calif. Brown was also recruited by Fresno State, Louisville, Long Beach State and Pepperdine coming out of junior college.

"Chad (Brown) is a young man we recruited a year ago, but he needed to complete his academic requirements this past year at Chaffey," said McClain. "He is a player who brings excellent overall athletic ability to our team, and brings outstanding scoring skills. He can play the one, two or three spots for us, adding a lot of versatility to our program." 

Ronell Mingo is a 6-9, 230-pound forward/center out of Compton Community College in Compton, Calif. He played two seasons at Compton where he earned First Team All-Southern California Athletic Conference honors as a freshman, leading his Compton College team in scoring. He was injured for part of his sophomore season, but still led the conference in blocked shots, averaging 3.4 blocks per game. He also scored 15.5 points per game and pulled down 7.7 rebounds as a sophomore, while shooting 56.0 percent from the field and 70.1 percent from the free-throw line. Mingo played for head coach Damien Powell at Compton Community College. 

In high school, Mingo played for head coach Sam Sullivan at Fremont High School in Los Angeles, Calif. A First Team All-City selection, he averaged 25 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots per game. He was also named his conference's Most Valuable Player, and was selected to a high school all-star team that toured Japan.. 

He is the grandson of Jessie and Shadrack Mingo. Mingo was also recruited out of junior college by Fresno State, Louisville, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Tulane and Washington State.

"You're always looking for that young man to complete your team," said McClain. "When we signed Ronell (Mingo), I felt like that capped off our recruiting class. He's a very talented, athletic 6-9 player, who blocks shots and can score inside and out. Ronell is a player who many people throughout the country tried to recruit. He is as good an athlete as we have on our team right now, and brings that added shot-blocking dimension to our team."

"I'm very excited about my decision," said Mingo. "After I made my visit to Wyoming, I felt like this was the right program for me. I liked the coaches and the players. I knew Chris McMillian (current Wyoming point guard) from high school, where we played in an All-Star game together. I also was excited about the confidence the players have in the program, and I like playing for a team on the rise that's looked at as an underdog right now."

Brown and Mingo join Scottie Vines, a 6-2, 185-pound guard from the College of Eastern Utah as Wyoming's three spring signees. They also join three high school student-athletes who signed with the Wyoming Basketball program during the early signing period in November of 1999. Those three early signees were: Alex Dunn, a 6-10, 220-pound forward-center from Sioux Rapids, Iowa; Joe Ries, a 6-8, 230-pound power forward from St. Louis, Mo.; and David Rottinghaus, a 6-5, 185-pound guard-forward from Charles City, Iowa.

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