Kaden Metheny’s immediate impact on Liberty basketball
Flames basketball newcomer and redshirt junior Kaden Metheny has been one to watch in his first season on the Mountain. The Bowling Green transfer has shown no trouble fitting in with the Flames as he stepped onto the court earlier this season, and he has been on fire ever since.
With his earliest memory of holding a basketball being in kindergarten, the love of the game practically runs through Metheny’s veins. Athleticism is genetic in the Metheny household, as he has a father who played football for West Virginia University and an older brother who played football, baseball and basketball. Metheny followed in his brother’s footsteps, trying his hand at each sport; and though he stuck with baseball for a while, he eventually realized what set basketball apart from the rest.
“I think the relationships that I developed through basketball were better than the relationships I’ve (gotten from) baseball. I had a great surrounding of people,” Metheny said. “There’s friendships that I developed from those teams that are still friends of mine today, and that’s probably the one thing that I would point to as to why I chose basketball.”
While the Metheny family emphasized athletics, its members placed a much greater emphasis on building a relationship with Christ. Metheny attributes much of his faith to the influence his mother had on him growing up.
“My mother is my testament. She’s gone through a lot of things throughout her life, and how she has persevered has (educated) me on the importance of perspective,” Metheny said. “That’s where my faith really, truly comes from.”
Seeking a Christian environment, Metheny set his sights on Liberty University after a visit to the campus while in high school. The Lord put those plans on hold, however, as Metheny ended up signing on to play basketball at Bowling Green. After three years of playing for the Falcons, Metheny entered the transfer portal, leading him to sign with the Flames. Metheny immediately noticed a difference in the community he experienced upon his arrival at Liberty.
“It’s truly amazing how special the people are here and how they not only care for you as a basketball player, but also as a person off the court,” Metheny said. “It’s something that I don’t take for granted, especially having a perspective of where I came from; I know there is something different about this team.”
The biggest difference to Metheny about the basketball program at Liberty has been the efforts players and coaches have made with him on and off the court. The change in pace of coming to a Christian university allowed for Metheny to experience a team that prioritizes his walk with Christ and spiritual development over his athletic abilities.
“Coach McKay does a phenomenal job with this program. He really establishes that we have Christ in us; that’s been the most important thing,” Metheny said. “It definitely changes how I walk, having like-minded people around me as teammates. If I am not doing what I should be, it’s easy to realize because I have people right next to me to hold me accountable.”
Metheny graduated with his bachelor’s during his three years at Bowling Green, and he is
currently in the first year of his master’s program at Liberty. Similar to the path of his father, who is in real estate, Metheny is pursuing an MBA in real estate. Though he is still waiting to see where the Lord guides his career plans, he is currently focusing on helping Flames basketball make it to the next level.
“This team has high, high expectations. It starts with winning the conference tournament, making it to the NCAA Tournament and making it run from there,” Metheny said. “It’s easy to go out there and perform when you’re not only trying to perform for yourself, but also for your teammates and for God. Knowing that, this game is bringing us together in a different way and allows us to play with joy.”
Metheny attributes his coaches, teammates and friends at Liberty to the spiritual and athletic growth he has experienced this past year. He has been able to experience firsthand that training Champions for Christ is not just a mission statement, but something that is executed to the full extent on courts, in classrooms and everywhere else across Liberty’s campus daily.
“This university, this team, it’s something special. Being able to have that different perspective coming from a different school, I might not have had the same perspective that I do now,” Metheny said. “The players on this team, they have Christ in them; they are special. I truly can call them brothers, and that is something that I’ve been looking for the past three years, and I have finally found that.”
White is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion