The talent level in Utah high school boys basketball is nothing to scoff at. The Herriman Mustangs know this all too well; they see it virtually every game. 

Herriman competes in a stacked Region 2, which features the top-ranked team in the state, Westlake, along with difficult tests in Mountain Ridge and Bingham. Riverton is no slouch either. 

A formidable test the Mustangs often see is a disparity in size on the court. Region 2 features teams that boast length and physical players. The Mustangs, meanwhile, don’t have the tallest lineup on the court, so head coach Doug Meacham preaches mental toughness and playing smart. 

“The biggest challenge will be guarding bigger and longer defenders, and handling the physicality of some teams,” he said. “What can your players do to confront and overcome those? Be mentally ready to fight mentally and compete physically. Also, we need to use our IQ to combat other teams that might be bigger or stronger.” 

Herriman was 6-5 in non-region play. Meacham didn’t shy away from a hard schedule. Herriman participated in two tournaments, including the pre-Christmas Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada, which boasted teams from all across the country. Herriman went 2-2 in the tournament, defeating an opponent from Nevada and one from California, while falling to a foe from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and one from Nevada. 

Heading into the region schedule, Meacham was pleased with the players’ attitudes and efforts. 

“We have had a productive pre-season and have gotten better overall since the summer,” he said. “Our guys are showing up every day and wanting to get better.”

Region play saw the Mustangs open up with a 3-2 record through Jan. 19.  

Herriman doubled up Cedar Valley in the region opener on Dec. 30, winning easily by the count of 82-41. After falling at home to Bingham on Jan. 2, 77-59, and then losing at Mountain Ridge by the score of 70-57 on Jan. 6, the Mustangs took down Riverton on the road, 58-43 on Jan. 9, and then cruised past Copper Hills at home on Jan. 13, 70-58. 

Meacham hopes his team can continue to be effective from three-point range and do a better job of defending opponents. Through 16 games, the 9-7 Mustangs had made 133 shots from behind the three-point line, good enough for 8.3 per game. Leading the way in three-pointers for Herriman at this stage was freshman Xavier Mulford with 35. Senior Carlo Mulford was right behind with 20 three-pointers. The duo of Carlo and Xavier paced the team through 16 games in scoring with 18.3 points and 11.4 points per game, respectively. 

“Our team's strength is our ability to shoot the three-pointer,” Meacham said. “We have a group of guys that can make shots. I'm hoping we can keep learning to trust each other and trust our player movement and ball movement on offense and then be committed to team defense.”

Meacham loves having the Mulford brothers lead the team. Both have been productive at both ends of the court and create difficult matchups for opponents. 

“Both of these guys have put in a lot of time to earn the right to have some big games,” Meacham said. “They are our main ball handlers or point guards. Their job is to facilitate and put pressure on the opposing team's defense, creating shots for themselves and others.”

Other key contributors this season have been Stone Tia, a junior guard-forward who is scoring just over 10 points a game, along with senior guard-forward Cy Arnell, who averages 6.6 points per game and leads Herriman with 6.1 rebounds an outing. 

Many big games await Herriman, but Meacham is confident that his team can compete and finish strong. The team has improved throughout the year, and Meacham’s biggest hope is that the Mustangs are at their best once the postseason state tournament begins. 

“Our goals are to be playing our best basketball in February and have a chance to compete in the state tournament,” he said. 

To continue on a good trajectory to be a factor in the playoffs, Meacham said the Mustangs need to do a better job of communicating on the court and trust one another more. Nothing will come easy for Herriman down the stretch as it seeks to finish among the top teams in Region and Class 6A. The Mustangs face every Region 2 foe twice. The regular season wraps up Feb. 13 at home with Westlake in a game that could go a long way in determining Herriman’s state tournament seeding.