Former University High basketball standout and 2020 West Virginia State Player of the Year Kaden Metheny has found a new home at Liberty University this season after entering the transfer portal last summer.
For Metheny, the all-time leading scorer in UHS program history, LU has been everything he imagined, and more, both on and off the court, after transferring from Bowling Green State University.
Admittedly, Metheny said he didn’t know what to expect heading into Division-I basketball, but he quickly learned what he would need to get used to in his first of three years at Bowling Green.
“I had to adjust pretty quickly because my freshman year I was already playing a lot of minutes,” Metheny said. “Mostly to the size and athleticism of other players, but it’s been a great experience and I feel blessed to even have the opportunity.”
As a freshman at BGSU, Metheny averaged 28.7 minutes per game and averaged double-figure scoring at 10.2 pointers to go along with 1.9 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game. He scored his career-high of 29 points against Eastern Michigan that year.
He spent two more seasons with the Falcons before hitting the portal in the summer of 2023 and said the experience was nothing short of a whirlwind.
“It was way crazier than the high school process was, that’s for sure,” Metheny said with a chuckle. “In high school, you had a whole year or so to take visits and consider where the best fit was, but in the transfer portal, you jam all of that into basically a month. It was a crazy experience but one I was grateful for and I’m so glad that Liberty came calling and I quickly realized this was the place for me.”
One thing Metheny said was important to him to find in his next program was surrounding himself with the right people.
“The people are second to none there, that’s one of the biggest things I was concerned with,” he said. “It’s a great university, my family and I are deep into our faith, and I’ve already built some great relationships on and off the court. I’m just really grateful to be here and to have found somewhere that feels like a natural home to me.”
Metheny etched his name in UHS program history by not only becoming the all-time leading scorer, but also breaking the three-point field goal record, and surpassing both the 1,000 and 2,000-point marks. However, helping deliver the Hawks their first-ever state championship in 2019 alongside his teammates was the highlight of his high school career.
“Playing with my teammates and playing for University is something I will never forget,” he said. “Winning the state championship with Coach (Joe) Schmidle and guys I had played basketball with my whole life. It’s still probably the best basketball experience I’ve had so far even after my time in college. Not being able to finish my senior year after being shut down by COVID just showed me how much I appreciated my time at UHS with my coaches and teammates. What an unbelievable experience I had in my four years there.”
Schmidle reflected on his time with Kaden as a member of his team, saying that the bigger the challenge, the better Metheny was.
“I always called him the giant killer, because no challenge was ever too big for him,” Schmidle said. “Kaden was a product of his work ethic and his ability to make those around him better. I knew that no matter what, he would rise to the occasion and play his best in the biggest moments. He was a true competitor. I knew as long as No. 3 was on our team, we always had a chance.”
This season, Metheny has started all 18 games for the Flames (11-7, 0-3 C-USA) and is second on the team in minutes per game with 30.0 and total scoring with 216 points. He is averaging 12.0 points, to go along with 3.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game.
Metheny is on pace to set career-highs for nearly every statistic this season and has hit at least one three-pointer in every single game. He scored a season-high 20 points and hit five triples in a 99-62 victory over the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore on Nov. 25.
The Flames’ next game will be Thursday at 7:00 p.m. in Lynchburg, as they host Florida International.
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