MORGANTOWN — Kaden Metheny completed his final exams and officially said goodbye to Bowling Green on Friday.
“I’m all packed up and on the road back to Morgantown right now,” the former University High boys’ hoops star said.
His college basketball journey will continue in June, when he enrolls at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., after committing to the Flames earlier this week via the transfer portal.
“I’m excited about the fresh start,” Metheny said. “I’m excited for the change of scenery and new opportunities.”
Metheny, who averaged 10.7 points and shot 38.2% from 3-point range last season, will have three seasons of eligibility remaining.
“Yeah, I survived the portal,” he said. “I don’t know how I did it, but we made it.”
Metheny, the 2020 Bill Evans winner as the state’s top prep player, entered the transfer portal in March, following the firing of Michael Huger.
Huger was let go after going after going 38-50 over the past three seasons, including an 11-20 mark last season.
“I’ve never dealt well with losing,” Metheny said. “I’ve never really gone through a season like we had this year.”
Ritchie McKay, the former associate head coach under Tony Bennett at Virginia, has averaged 25 wins over his last seven seasons at Liberty, which competes in the ASUN Conference (formerly the Atlantic Sun).
He guided the Flames to the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2019 and to a 27-9 mark last season, including a victory over Villanova in the first round of the NIT.
“Kaden Metheny will quickly become another favorite of our fans,” McKay said in a press release. “He’s a tough, complete offensive player that has a huge commitment to his team’s outcome. We will undoubtedly benefit from his experience at the Division I level. The impact that he’ll have on the court and in our locker room will be significant.”
While still at UHS, Liberty was one of the schools Metheny visited before deciding on Bowling Green. He said McKay and his staff came to Bowling Green to visit him after he entered the portal and then visited the campus a second time before committing.
“After meeting the players and everyone there, it just felt like the right fit for me,” Metheny said. “It’s a Christian school, and my Christian values have always been important to me.”
Guard Darius McGhee has used up his college eligibility after averaging 22.8 points per game last season for the Flames.
“I feel like the opportunity is there to go in and make a positive impact,” Metheny said. “Not to say I’m going to go do what Darius did, but the opportunity is there to have a good spot on the team.
“Overall, it just felt like the right fit for me. Once I became more familiar with Liberty’s program, I just knew it was the school for me.”
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