The Mendham Varsity Boys Basketball rounded off their season with a dominant
20-9 record. The team, coached by Bill Connelly, succeeded in fitting into the expectation of a dominant team, with great connection among the players and fans. With the assistance of the ever-so-loud Mendham Moshpit, competitive home games at Mendham never fail to be lively and entertaining. The boys, led by team captain Brody Meisner, showed what minutemen pride truly looks like, as well as delivering key wins over schools like Montville, Payne-Tech, and Delbarton (twice).
The boys pushed through the difficult early-season schedule, beating Mountain Lakes in their season opener but narrowly losing to Montville and Morris Knolls. Mendham would later beat both teams in the season. As the games started ramping up, so did the fans. Mendham’s buzzing student section displayed true Minutemen Pride during games against Delbarton, Warren Hills, and Payne Tech. With the support from the sidelines, the boys felt truly at home when playing. Captain Brody Meisner said, “The student section was great at every game, no matter the opponent. We put in great game plans to play against great teams all year, and we used the student sections to feed off their energy which was very helpful.” From the players’ point of view, having a well-connected team creates a bond that can’t be broken. With the starting lineup consisting of Jake Englese, Talon Wehmeyer, Ricard Ferrer-Guy, Collin Pajunas or Vince Mateo, and Brody Meisner, the team always maintained a strong connection throughout the season. Brody described, “We have gotten closer as a team on and off the court as the season went on, and we learned to play for the good of the group and for the name on the front of our chest. We grew more confident as the season went on, playing within our own roles as well. We are a tight-knit group, and it is awesome to play with all those guys because we grew up together and we are all from the same town.” This bond created within the team is meant to last, especially for the upcoming seasons.
Team coordination wasn’t Mendham’s only superpower; throughout the regular season, Mendham guards Junior Talon Wehmeyer, Senior Ricard Ferrer-Guy, and Senior Jake Englese dominated the scoring half of the game. Talon, averaging 22 points per game, displayed a prime example of how Mendham Ball should be played. In the home game against Delbarton, Talon scored 35 points, leading the boys to a roaring win over a rival school. Hearing his name after every big game, Talon broke 1,000 points this season as a Junior and only plans to rack up that count next season. For 6’4 Ricard, he averaged 8 points across 38 games, showing reliability when it mattered most. During the game against Payne Tech in the first round of the North 2 Group 3 Tournament, Ricard dropped 16 points, 4 of which were from the 3-point line. Jake, proving to be a clutch shooter from 3, assisted with the offensive domination seen in close games. Away against Delbarton, Jake made a 3-pointer in the final minutes of the game, sealing the game and giving Mendham yet another win. Jake completed the season, averaging 10 points over 29 games played, showing why the Mendham offense is looked up to by other teams.
On the defensive side of the ball, Mendham stood out, with powerful performances from Brody Meisner, as well as Ricard Ferrer-Guy. The constant pressure that the defense maintained throughout the games was a key contributor to success. Ricard said, “Before every game, we have a sort of strict, defensive game plan, really analyzing how the opposing team plays so that we know what their strengths are and what we can do to limit them… I think that really showed in our games throughout the season, where we were really able to hold many teams to under forty, even some teams to under thirty points.” This strategic ability is what led Mendham to showcase its dominant defense in many of its games and led to major wins against rival teams. Mendham basketball is still a young team, Ricard noted, “We only returned one player that had varsity experience last season,” showing that the 2026-2027 team has high expectations, as well as the support from the upcoming classes.
With that, the 2025-2026 Mendham Boys Basketball team is one to remember. With records being broken and set, as well as outstanding performances against rival teams, the boys never failed to provide for the fans and families that support Minutemen pride. With this, the team strives for greater success next year, as they do every year, and will surely succeed in doing so.
