Jean-Frantz Massenat and Sierra Mendenhall have always had fun playing basketball, but in the recent past, the pressure of choosing a college has weighed on their minds.

Not anymore.

Three weeks ago inside Trenton Catholic Academy gymnasium, Hamilton, the pair of standout athletes officially signed their names on the dotted line. Next year, Massenat, a resident of Ewing and member of Incarnation-St. James Parish, will be playing at Drexel University in Philadelphia, while Mendenhall, of Trenton, will be competing at Northeastern University in Boston.

So now, aside from keeping their grades afloat, the only thing they have to do is play basketball, and playing basketball is what they do best.

“I feel very lucky and fortunate,” said Massenat, one of several guards on the Iron Mikes basketball team that most consider a state championship threat. “Drexel is a great school and it plays a good, competitive schedule. It’s one of the top 100 academically qualified schools in the country. The coach there has the same type of game that I play in high school. I’m in a great position.”

While lauding Trenton Catholic coach Fred Falchi for helping him through the recruiting process, Massenat, a graduate of Incarnation School, Ewing, admitted that he was starting to stress before and during games.

“I didn’t know who might be there, if there was someone from a college who was watching,” said Massenat. “I always wanted to make an impression. That’s a tough way to play because it causes you to think too much, and it throws off your game.”

That helps explain why Massenat has had the date “Dec. 18” symbolically circled on his calendar for the past few months; it’s the day that Trenton Catholic opens its season at Northern Burlington High School.

In attendance will be some family members and many friends, many of whom approached Massenat immediately after he had committed to play at Drexel.

He recalls the day he signed – “People were coming over to me, congratulating me and stuff,” he said. “That’s a day I’ll never forget. Them setting up a conference for us, having our teammates there – it was really special.”

Meanwhile, Mendenhall said she was relieved for a different reason. A serious knee injury toward the end of her sophomore year cost her significant playing time during her high school career. So Mendenhall’s main goal this year was to stay healthy while displaying the type of rugged inside play that helped forge her strong reputation when she was one of the state’s best players as a sophomore.

Because she had already shown how talented she is as a high school center, it didn’t take long for schools to come with offers of making Mendenhall – who often delivers double digits in points and rebounds – part of their plans as either a power forward or center. Northeastern stepped up and delivered, and Mendenhall appreciated the gesture.

“I’m very excited about it,” she said. “You’re always a little worried when you’ve had a couple of injuries, but I never lost confidence in my game. That’s the key – believing in yourself and your capabilities.”

Northeastern coach Daynia La-Force Mann described Mendenhall as “an aggressive post (player) with great hands and a knack for rebounding on both ends of the floor” and “perfect for us in our up-tempo style of play.”

Massenat said he was “very happy” for Mendenhall, and vice versa.

“I think it’s great for a school when students know where they are going this early in their careers,” said Massenat, who scored 14 points per game last year. “I think it gets everyone excited, and it’s good for the rest of the students who can then set their goals as high as possible.”

John Knebels is a freelance sports writer based in Philadelphia, PA.  He can be reached at jknebs@aol.com.