Minlend on a Mission: Former cfa Academy star ready to play big-time basketball in the ACC
CONCORD – When Charles Minlend Jr. put his name in the NCAA transfer portal in late March, he was excited about the possibilities.
A former basketball star at cfa Academy, Minlend had enjoyed a strong career at the University of San Francisco and was about to earn a degree in computer science. He figured he’d have some suitors once he entered the portal as a graduate transfer, but he had no idea what he was in store for.
Two days later, his phone would become permanently attached to his ear, and his head would be spinning as he was being wooed like the prettiest girl at the school dance.
“The first day, I had 40 to 45 schools call me,” Minlend recalled, still amazed. “It was pretty crazy, but it was cool, though.”
The first call was from Wichita State. And while Minlend was on the phone with the Shockers, three or four more calls beeped in, followed by some contacts through his e-mail address.
Minlend weighed his many options and ultimately committed to the University of Louisville on April 12 after a late push from the Cardinals. He signed with the ACC school a few days later, and now he’s set to play against what’s generally considered to be the best college players in the nation.
A 2015 cfa Academy graduate, Minlend will be eligible to play immediately for the Cardinals. After a mind-blowing recruiting process, he can’t wait to get going for one of the few schools to have won multiple NCAA championships.
“I didn’t expect to get the amount of attention that I did,” Minlend said. “But it was really cool, because I didn’t really get that much before when I was in high school, and I really wanted it. To get those calls and the interest that I got from the schools – which were really, really great schools – was amazing.
“It definitely feels good to know that I’ve made a decision and I don’t have to worry about picking up my phone every other second.”
An Eagle takes flight
During his time at cfa Academy, Minlend made a name for himself in Cabarrus County basketball circles and beyond. He averaged well over 20 points during his two finals seasons, with his senior campaign ending with him leading the Eagles to their first-ever state championship.
When he graduated from cfa Academy – with a gaudy 4.5 GPA – he was still just 17 years old. He had some scholarship offers, but no major school had been willing to extend an invitation, and that had been his dream.
Minlend grow up admiring his father, Charles Sr., who played in the Big East at St. John’s and enjoyed a pro career overseas before the family moved to Harrisburg. Charles Jr. hoped to travel a similar path, and he was willing to take on any challenges, even if it meant going to a smaller college first.
But Charles Sr. and his wife, Tracey, had a different idea for their eldest son.
“My parents didn’t think I was ready for college yet, so they said I should go to prep school for a year,” Minlend said. “I reluctantly agreed.”
Minlend laughs when he’s asked about his phrasing, “reluctantly agreed.”
“I had a lot of confidence in myself, and I knew that wherever I went it wasn’t going to be easy, especially because I wasn’t this well-known, famous guy coming out of high school,” he said. “So I was going to have to earn everything I got. That’s just how it’s been my whole life, so it wasn’t anything new for me.
“I felt like I was good enough. I felt like I was ready. And if I wasn’t ready, I was going to figure it out. I still had some pretty good offers out of high school, and I felt like I wanted to experience college (right away).”
The prep school Minlend wound up attending, though, was a lot different from what he initially expected. It was a military school, Fork Union in rural Virginia, where students wear uniforms and adhere to an Army-inspired code of conduct.
Not exactly the environment most teenagers want when they go away to college.
“It was kind of a tough sell for me,” Minlend said. “It was hard for me to say yes, to get onboard. But I trusted (my parents). They’d helped me get to where I was at that point, and so I was like, ‘Why stop trusting them now when it’s been working?’”
Minlend made the best of his time at Fork Union. He especially shined on the court, averaging better than 22 points per game. Yet the list of colleges showing interest in him wasn’t vast. Other than San Francisco, he had offers from Hofstra and Middle Tennessee State, but that was pretty much it.
Minlend with thrilled on his visit to San Francisco, especially since it was in a major city, and he committed to the Dons on the spot. His college career had officially begun.
A Don’s destiny
Minlend didn’t waste time making an impact at San Francisco. His first year, he was named to the West Coast Conference’s All-Freshman Team, and he wrapped up his final two seasons by making the WCC Second-Team. He also kept up his strong academic performance, twice making the league’s All-Academic First Team.
This past season, the 6-foot-4 guard averaged a team-high 14.5 points with 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in what was his redshirt junior campaign after sitting out his second year with an injury. He was often at his best in the Dons’ biggest games, proving that in a WCC tournament semifinals loss by scoring 19 points and grabbing seven rebounds against Gonzaga, which finished No. 2 in the nation.
His 1,271 career points are tied for 18th place on the Dons’ all-time list – which features Hall of Famer Bill Russell – and his 141 3-pointers are 10th-best in program history. USF’s 22-12 record this season was its best mark in 35 years.
“It was a crazy, crazy ride,” Minlend said of his time at USF. “I got to play against some really big schools – a lot of schools that didn’t recruit me before. So it was really cool to do that, and we were pretty successful over there. We picked the program up a little bit. I feel a lot more people know about USF now than they did before. I’m proud to say I was a part of that.”
Onward and upward
Despite an opportunity to climb even higher in the Dons’ record books and his love for the program, Minlend felt it was time to take his game to a higher level, so he placed his name in the transfer portal.
He became an overnight sensation. The Internet was dotted with stories about him, with many publications talking about the chances of Minlend landing at certain schools. Fans definitely talked about him on social media, begging in chat rooms for him to come to their favorite team’s campus.
And, of course, his phone never stopped ringing.
“It was crazy!” Minlend said. “I felt like I was an All-American. I honestly thought I would never experience that. People were talking to me like I was a 5-star recruit or something, and I’d never gotten that kind of attention. These coaches that I see on TV all the time, they’re calling my phone and asking me to come to their schools. It was kind of surreal.
“There were a lot of virtual visits, virtual tours, presentations, Zoom meetings,” he added. “I was literally living on my phone. I think my screen time went up to about eight hours a day or something crazy like that.”
Nonetheless, he began the task of paring things down. In early April, Minlend narrowed his list to seven schools: Indiana, Butler, BYU, Gonzaga, Arkansas, Mississippi State and Arizona.
Louisville wasn’t on the list at the time but a mad courtship was about the change all that.
“I didn’t even know that (the Cardinals) had called,” Minlend said. “I already had my list. I thought it was a school that I had already cut from my list calling me again, and I didn’t answer the phone. It wasn’t until I had gotten some messages from a couple of people that I realized that Louisville was actually calling. And I didn’t want just turn them down without hearing what they had to say.”
On Friday, April 10, Louisville assistant Dino Gaudio – who previously coached one of Minlend’s good friends, former Central Cabarrus star Ish Smith, at Wake Forest – connected with the talented guard and started making his pitch. On Saturday, Gaudio and Cardinals head coach Chris Mack had a Zoom meeting with Minlend and his family, and both sides seemed smitten.
By Sunday night, Minlend was a Cardinal.
Minlend said he hopes to set foot on Louisville’s campus in June, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he doubts it’ll happen before July.
But he’ll be ready when he gets there.
He’s already left California and is back in Harrisburg, working on his skills on the family’s outdoor hoop and getting workouts on some newly bought athletic equipment.
Minlend’s ready to play in the league where his buddy, Smith, whose summer camp he’s worked throughout the years, excelled before joining the NBA. He’s ready to start making a name in the conference where former Cox Mill standouts Wendell Moore Jr. (Duke) and Leaky Black (North Carolina) currently hold key roster spots.
Big-time basketball is now a reality for him, and he plans to capitalize on his opportunity.
“I’m so juiced,” Minlend said. “Right after I committed, I just wanted to get on campus and just start practicing, like, right away. It’s kind of a dream to be able to go to this school. It’s one of the best schools in the country, it’s been successful pretty much for its entire tenure, and it’s the ACC. And in my last year, I’m going to be able to play with my parents being able to watch all the games and everything – against the same schools that were in my backyard and wouldn’t even look at me.
“If somebody were to tell me this was going to happen, I wouldn’t believe them.”
CONCORD – When Charles Minlend Jr. put his name in the NCAA transfer portal in late March, he was excited about the possibilities.
A former basketball star at cfa Academy, Minlend had enjoyed a strong career at the University of San Francisco and was about to earn a degree in computer science. He figured he’d have some suitors once he entered the portal as a graduate transfer, but he had no idea what he was in store for.
Two days later, his phone would become permanently attached to his ear, and his head would be spinning as he was being wooed like the prettiest girl at the school dance.
“The first day, I had 40 to 45 schools call me,” Minlend recalled, still amazed. “It was pretty crazy, but it was cool, though.”
The first call was from Wichita State. And while Minlend was on the phone with the Shockers, three or four more calls beeped in, followed by some contacts through his e-mail address.
Minlend weighed his many options and ultimately committed to the University of Louisville on April 12 after a late push from the Cardinals. He signed with the ACC school a few days later, and now he’s set to play against what’s generally considered to be the best college players in the nation.
A 2015 cfa Academy graduate, Minlend will be eligible to play immediately for the Cardinals. After a mind-blowing recruiting process, he can’t wait to get going for one of the few schools to have won multiple NCAA championships.
“I didn’t expect to get the amount of attention that I did,” Minlend said. “But it was really cool, because I didn’t really get that much before when I was in high school, and I really wanted it. To get those calls and the interest that I got from the schools – which were really, really great schools – was amazing.
“It definitely feels good to know that I’ve made a decision and I don’t have to worry about picking up my phone every other second.”
An Eagle takes flight
During his time at cfa Academy, Minlend made a name for himself in Cabarrus County basketball circles and beyond. He averaged well over 20 points during his two finals seasons, with his senior campaign ending with him leading the Eagles to their first-ever state championship.
When he graduated from cfa Academy – with a gaudy 4.5 GPA – he was still just 17 years old. He had some scholarship offers, but no major school had been willing to extend an invitation, and that had been his dream.
Minlend grow up admiring his father, Charles Sr., who played in the Big East at St. John’s and enjoyed a pro career overseas before the family moved to Harrisburg. Charles Jr. hoped to travel a similar path, and he was willing to take on any challenges, even if it meant going to a smaller college first.
But Charles Sr. and his wife, Tracey, had a different idea for their eldest son.
“My parents didn’t think I was ready for college yet, so they said I should go to prep school for a year,” Minlend said. “I reluctantly agreed.”
Minlend laughs when he’s asked about his phrasing, “reluctantly agreed.”
“I had a lot of confidence in myself, and I knew that wherever I went it wasn’t going to be easy, especially because I wasn’t this well-known, famous guy coming out of high school,” he said. “So I was going to have to earn everything I got. That’s just how it’s been my whole life, so it wasn’t anything new for me.
“I felt like I was good enough. I felt like I was ready. And if I wasn’t ready, I was going to figure it out. I still had some pretty good offers out of high school, and I felt like I wanted to experience college (right away).”
The prep school Minlend wound up attending, though, was a lot different from what he initially expected. It was a military school, Fork Union in rural Virginia, where students wear uniforms and adhere to an Army-inspired code of conduct.
Not exactly the environment most teenagers want when they go away to college.
“It was kind of a tough sell for me,” Minlend said. “It was hard for me to say yes, to get onboard. But I trusted (my parents). They’d helped me get to where I was at that point, and so I was like, ‘Why stop trusting them now when it’s been working?’”
Minlend made the best of his time at Fork Union. He especially shined on the court, averaging better than 22 points per game. Yet the list of colleges showing interest in him wasn’t vast. Other than San Francisco, he had offers from Hofstra and Middle Tennessee State, but that was pretty much it.
Minlend with thrilled on his visit to San Francisco, especially since it was in a major city, and he committed to the Dons on the spot. His college career had officially begun.
A Don’s destiny
Minlend didn’t waste time making an impact at San Francisco. His first year, he was named to the West Coast Conference’s All-Freshman Team, and he wrapped up his final two seasons by making the WCC Second-Team. He also kept up his strong academic performance, twice making the league’s All-Academic First Team.
This past season, the 6-foot-4 guard averaged a team-high 14.5 points with 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in what was his redshirt junior campaign after sitting out his second year with an injury. He was often at his best in the Dons’ biggest games, proving that in a WCC tournament semifinals loss by scoring 19 points and grabbing seven rebounds against Gonzaga, which finished No. 2 in the nation.
His 1,271 career points are tied for 18th place on the Dons’ all-time list – which features Hall of Famer Bill Russell – and his 141 3-pointers are 10th-best in program history. USF’s 22-12 record this season was its best mark in 35 years.
“It was a crazy, crazy ride,” Minlend said of his time at USF. “I got to play against some really big schools – a lot of schools that didn’t recruit me before. So it was really cool to do that, and we were pretty successful over there. We picked the program up a little bit. I feel a lot more people know about USF now than they did before. I’m proud to say I was a part of that.”
Onward and upward
Despite an opportunity to climb even higher in the Dons’ record books and his love for the program, Minlend felt it was time to take his game to a higher level, so he placed his name in the transfer portal.
He became an overnight sensation. The Internet was dotted with stories about him, with many publications talking about the chances of Minlend landing at certain schools. Fans definitely talked about him on social media, begging in chat rooms for him to come to their favorite team’s campus.
And, of course, his phone never stopped ringing.
“It was crazy!” Minlend said. “I felt like I was an All-American. I honestly thought I would never experience that. People were talking to me like I was a 5-star recruit or something, and I’d never gotten that kind of attention. These coaches that I see on TV all the time, they’re calling my phone and asking me to come to their schools. It was kind of surreal.
“There were a lot of virtual visits, virtual tours, presentations, Zoom meetings,” he added. “I was literally living on my phone. I think my screen time went up to about eight hours a day or something crazy like that.”
Nonetheless, he began the task of paring things down. In early April, Minlend narrowed his list to seven schools: Indiana, Butler, BYU, Gonzaga, Arkansas, Mississippi State and Arizona.
Louisville wasn’t on the list at the time but a mad courtship was about the change all that.
“I didn’t even know that (the Cardinals) had called,” Minlend said. “I already had my list. I thought it was a school that I had already cut from my list calling me again, and I didn’t answer the phone. It wasn’t until I had gotten some messages from a couple of people that I realized that Louisville was actually calling. And I didn’t want just turn them down without hearing what they had to say.”
On Friday, April 10, Louisville assistant Dino Gaudio – who previously coached one of Minlend’s good friends, former Central Cabarrus star Ish Smith, at Wake Forest – connected with the talented guard and started making his pitch. On Saturday, Gaudio and Cardinals head coach Chris Mack had a Zoom meeting with Minlend and his family, and both sides seemed smitten.
By Sunday night, Minlend was a Cardinal.
Minlend said he hopes to set foot on Louisville’s campus in June, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he doubts it’ll happen before July.
But he’ll be ready when he gets there.
He’s already left California and is back in Harrisburg, working on his skills on the family’s outdoor hoop and getting workouts on some newly bought athletic equipment.
Minlend’s ready to play in the league where his buddy, Smith, whose summer camp he’s worked throughout the years, excelled before joining the NBA. He’s ready to start making a name in the conference where former Cox Mill standouts Wendell Moore Jr. (Duke) and Leaky Black (North Carolina) currently hold key roster spots.
Big-time basketball is now a reality for him, and he plans to capitalize on his opportunity.
“I’m so juiced,” Minlend said. “Right after I committed, I just wanted to get on campus and just start practicing, like, right away. It’s kind of a dream to be able to go to this school. It’s one of the best schools in the country, it’s been successful pretty much for its entire tenure, and it’s the ACC. And in my last year, I’m going to be able to play with my parents being able to watch all the games and everything – against the same schools that were in my backyard and wouldn’t even look at me.
“If somebody were to tell me this was going to happen, I wouldn’t believe them.”
