Adding to an already impressive list of accomplishments and accolades, Evanston High School boys’ basketball standout Jordan Mendez will stay (relatively) close home to begin his collegiate career. Mendez signed earlier this month to play for Central Wyoming College, and head coach Pat Rafferty.

Asked how Mendez popped up on the Rustlers’ radar, Rafferty said the talented senior was recommended to him by former Red Devils player and coach Matt Johnson, who played for Rafferty about a decade ago.

“Matt talked Jordan up first and foremost as a kid, as a person and then as a student,” Rafferty explained. “And then I got the chance to see him play, and saw some qualities and characteristics that I thought could resonate and transition to a guy who I think could contribute to our program.”

A 1st-Team All-Conference and 2nd-Team All-State selection following the 2024-25 season, Mendez averaged 11.6 points, 3.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game as a senior. He shot 56% from the floor, and was a 69% shooter from the charity stripe; Mendez was also a threat to hit from behind the arc, knocking down 67 3-pointers. He helped lead the Red Devils to the 4A State Tournament the last two seasons.

Mendez said he initially chose CWC because of his older brother.

“Central really stood out to me, because for one, it was where my brother attended to play soccer a couple years ago, and he really enjoyed it up there,” Mendez explained. “I was lucky enough to have a connection with Coach Raff through my old JV coach Matt Johnson, who played for Coach Raff, so he was in my ear about getting up there. I’m very grateful, because it’s amazing there.”

Asked what he liked about Jordan’s game, Rafferty said Mendez is solid fundamentally, and is a team player.

“Those are things that ... on a day-to-day basis ... things I really value and appreciate,” Rafferty said. “Being great at the basics, that’s a thing we try to go by. Just being really solid and fundamental, playing hard, playing together. Off the court, from the times I’ve met with him, he’s a solid person, which is huge. Good student, he’s motivated to get an education. And so he checks all the boxes off for us that are important to be part of our program.”

Mendez liked what he saw during his workouts with the Rustlers, and felt an early connection with Rafferty and his approach to the game.

“It was a really great experience to play with those guys — it really opened my eyes to the different levels there are to the game,” he said. “All of the guys up there were super-friendly and I got a lot of good advice from the team. I’m really excited to play for Coach Raff, because I’m ready to just get after it and continue to get better every day, both in the game of basketball, and just life in general; from what I’ve heard, he’s great at pushing people to their potential, and even past it.”

Red Devils head coach Rob Watsabaugh said he always feels a sense of pride when one of his players has the opportunity to play at the next level, and Mendez has the skill set and focus to be successful.

“Central Wyoming is getting a good one in Jordan,” Watsabaugh said. “Not only as a basketball player and athlete, but as a fine young man who has some really great traits about him.”

Asked the same question as coach Rafferty about Mendez’ skill set, coach Wats called his senior captain an “exceptional player,” who can be difficult to guard in transition.

“His ability to go attack the other end and just kind of play freely in transition is a huge part of his game — that’s tough to emulate, and really hard to guard, as well,” he said. “I think they’ll definitely utilize some of his speed and quickness in the transition game, for sure.”

Watsabaugh said he also counted on Mendez to provide that spark when the rest of the team started to struggle, saying the rest of the team would feed off that energy.

“Jordan having that energy, being a spark and not only getting himself going, but keeping others around him or getting them going is a huge part of his game that has nothing to do with any stats,” Watsabaugh explained. “That’s big for him. If you have the right energy, you’re going to have people following you. You build confidence around you. If he’s playing that point guard spot at Central, he’ll continue to have that — whether it’s during workouts, practice or game situations, I think he’ll be able to excel with his constant positive energy and pouring into others and not worry about himself as much.”

Mendez is looking forward to taking the next step in his athletic and academic career, though he said it will be difficult to leave EHS and his old team and coaches behind.

“I will forever be grateful for being a Red Devil, and I’m going to miss a lot of things, that’s for sure,” he said. “Some things that stick out the most to me are the connections I made with a lot of people throughout the years. I will also miss Red Devil Gymnasium, and all of the good memories that have come from that floor. This community is amazing; I couldn’t imagine playing anywhere else.”

And given the choice, what would he like his legacy at EHS to be?

“I hope my legacy at EHS will be remembered for a while,” Mendez said. “You know, I never really thought that college basketball was in the cards, so I am super-grateful for this opportunity — just to show people that there’s no such thing as being ‘too small,’ or anything like that. That hard work really does pay off.”