South Plainfield Native Averages Just Under 45 Points Per Game
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ—The NBA is loaded with talented players from all kinds of backgrounds. Many come from the blue blood Power 5 schools of the NCAA. Some come from the NCAA’s mid-major schools. A number of players come from Europe. Some have been able to play right out of high school such as Lebron James.
However, there are players lacking the pedigree of say a Karl Anthony Towns, who went to the NBA after a year at Kentucky. These players are the epitome of patience, persistence, and dedication. South Plainfield native, Denzel Mensah has these qualities, and could join both James and Towns in the NBA.
Mensah recently concluded an amazing season for BKMA in the VBET Armenian League. After leaving Valencia’s B team to join BKMA, Mensah averaged just under 45 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 assists per contest to lead the team to the Supercup Championship. Included in that performance was a playoff record 68 points in a 116-102 loss to Artsakh on March 21st.
According to an article from Yaw Mintah of Basketball Ghana, Mensah connected on 24 of 47 total field goal attempts including 9 of 23 from beyond the arc. In addition, Mensah converted 11 of 17 from the charity stripe and collected 12 rebounds, 6 assists, and a steal in 42 minutes played. Voted the best 3 guard in the VBET league, Mensah was also Co-MVP of the league’s All-Star Game, and its Slam Dunk Champ.
Earlier in the season, Mensah was named Player of the Month in February 2022 in the VBET Armenian League. During that month, the former South Plainfield boys basketball standout averaged a double double of 42.4 points and 17.1 rebounds per game while also handing out 5.3 assists per contest. Mensah managed to accomplish this in a short amount of time.
According to another article by Mintah, Mensah compiled 39 points, 16 boards, 7 assists, and 2 steals in 40 minutes in a 106-90 BKMA victory over Gyumri on February 13th. Several days later, Mensah went back to work with another monster performance. In a 113-102 BKMA win over FIMA on February 18th, Mensah tallied 41 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, a steal and a block.
After college, Mensah made a number of international stops along his basketball journey. In the off-season, Mensah has competed in the Jersey Shore Basketball League. Most recently, Mensah played in the JSBL for Orthopedic Institute with the likes of Monmouth’s George Papas.
Teaming up with Papas and Qa’rran Calhoun, a member of the Raritan boys hoops team that defeated South Plainfield in the 2004 NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2 Group 3 Championship, Mensah appeared in back to back JSBL Championships in 2018 and 2019. Orthopedic Institute defeated Larson Ford in the 2018 JSBL Championship.
Mensah played at South Plainfield after the Tigers had made its last GMCT Final Four appearance in 2007. A 2011 graduate of SPHS, Mensah didn’t even score 1,000 points during his time with the Tigers. While Mensah attended SPHS, the Tigers had a combined overall record of just 25-64 including a mark of 13-42 in the GMC White.
As a senior at South Plainfield, Mensah earned team MVP honors. Mensah led the team in scoring with 332 points on 131 field goals and 70 free throws along with a team high 168 rebounds, 28 assists, 25 steals, and 6 blocked shots in 21 games. He averaged 15.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest including a season high 25 points in a loss to Cardinal McCarrick.
At Penn State-Wilkes Barre, Mensah became the school’s all time leading scorer with 1,168 points. Additionally, he also became the first player in school history to collect 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 200 assists. Over his four year career, Mensah played in 102 games including 30 starts, and averaged 11.7 points per game.
After college, Mensah began his professional career with the Jersey Express of the ABA. He subsequently began playing overseas for Valencia in Spain. Sometimes success comes through persistence and taking the road less traveled. In the case of Denzel Mensah, the facts speak for themselves.