HUNTINGTON — On a whim, Marshall men’s basketball coach Corny Jackson departed from his typical procedure.
The night before the Thundering Herd hosted James Madison on Jan. 9, on his way home from buying salt for his driveway, Jackson decided to phone his point guard.
“We saw a game or two ago that Dezayne [Mingo] was phasing out for two or three possessions after he was being held accountable,†Jackson said. “He did it in practice, so something in me — probably the man upstairs, he’s working through me. I called Dezayne on my way home last night.â€
Jackson said he rarely calls players. He texts them instead. But not that night.
“So I call [Mingo], and I said, ‘Listen, man, in order for us to be who we need to be, you can’t shut down for four or five plays,’†Jackson said. “I asked him, ‘Dezayne, do you understand what I’m saying? We can’t have you phasing out for four or five plays — it’s enough to get us beat.’â€
That interaction came into play the next night against the Dukes.
Seventeen seconds before halftime, Marshall lost a turnover out of bounds. Xavier Brown checked in for James Madison, got the ball at the top of the key, took a step and knocked down a 3-pointer as time expired — over Mingo — to take the lead.
A day after their conversation, Jackson reminded him of it.
“Dezayne got jumped at halftime pretty hard. We thought as a staff, and I thought as a head coach, that the last play defensively was lackadaisical,†Jackson said. “We told him that Brown is a ‘Big Shot Bob’ — do you remember [former NBA sharpshooter] Robert Horry? He’s like that guy.
“We didn’t like his alertness and his intensity on the ball, so he got jumped pretty hard. But he responded.â€
By the end of the game, Mingo was the Herd’s Big Shot Bob.
After James Madison took a 75-73 lead, Mingo pushed downcourt and put his eyes on the rim.
Mingo — who averaged more than 20 points per game at Guelph (Canada) before transferring to the Herd — led Marshall that night in assists.
But this moment was his.
Mingo pulled up at the elbow, made the shot and drew a foul. With his free throw, Marshall led 76-75.
The Dukes took the lead back before Mingo converted the same shot again.
James Madison responded once more to tie it at 78. But with less than six seconds remaining, Mingo lobbed a 60-foot pass to Cade Gibbs at the basket. Gibbs drew a foul and hit his foul shots to put Marshall ahead to stay.
The final play of the game was a steal by Mingo. James Madison hurled the ball with a second left, and he intercepted it.
No plays off.
Mingo was Big Shot Bob, Transition Bucket Terry and maybe even Patrick Mahomes.
“I told him two weeks ago, ‘Do you watch football, Dezayne?’†Jackson said. “He’s from Canada — ‘Oh no, not really,’ [he said], and I said, ‘I’m talking football, Tom Brady — what are you compared to the football field?’â€
“He said, ‘the quarterback.’ He came here, and he’s adjusting. He’s still a work in progress, as we all are, but he’s adjusting. I just highlight him because he played 40 minutes, and we just talked about him accepting coaching.â€
Jackson, the Herd’s first-year coach, was a point guard himself from 1998-2001 at Marshall. He led the Mid-American Conference in assists. He knows what it takes to be great.
“I explain to them that I’m hard on the point guards because I was a point guard,†Jackson said. “I hold them accountable. [Mingo] and Ryan Nutter both, Jalen [Speer] sometimes. I want to get the best out of them. I want them to see the floor well.â€
That hope aligns with Mingo’s recent goals. The day before the James Madison game, he said he wants to limit his turnovers.
“It’s definitely a very physical league,†Mingo said. “The Sun Belt is super physical. Before conference play, I was 5-to-2 in assist-to-turnover ratio. I’ve turned the ball over a little bit too much during conference play. Teams are trying to be physical with me, so being strong with the ball and taking care of it is big for me. I’m not happy with my turnovers recently, so that’s something I’m working on.â€
He only had one against the Dukes, with four assists.
“I’m lucky to have him,†Mingo said of Jackson. “I found out recently that he led [the MAC during his playing days] in assists. I didn’t know that for the longest time. I’m definitely blessed to have him. He’s onto me about taking care of the ball and urgency — aggressiveness.
“He knows that I’m a high-IQ player, so he trusts me to make plays. Those little nitpick things, he makes sure I’m strong with them.â€
As for how Marshall is treating him on the court, he feels that there’s no better place.
“It’s a lot different,†Mingo said. “This is exciting. This is a lot more of what I wanted as far as basketball.
“I enjoyed playing in Canada. I developed a lot of confidence in the ability to score and pass, but I feel like my game gets showcased a lot better here. I would say better teammates, better coaching and better exposure. It’s a blessing.â€
Mingo, a native of Hamilton, Ontario, probably hasn’t had to buy driveway salt just yet, even with the recent storm.
A few nights before the pivotal phone call with Jackson, Mingo spent time sledding with teammates.
“Some of these guys are from Florida, and they’ve never seen snow before,†Mingo said, adding with a laugh, “Our rookie Kaiden White thought about eating the snow his first time seeing it. I don’t know why that came to his brain, but that was surprising.â€
Chalk it up that he’s enjoying Huntington.
“It’s great,†Mingo said. “We have a great relationship. Everyone on the team is close. It’s all one. That shows on the basketball court — on and off it.â€
