MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — More than 950 days have passed since Kaden Metheny last played an organized basketball game in Morgantown.
Metheny spent his prep career playing under Joe Schmidle at University, where he led the Hawks to the school’s first Class AAA state championship in 2019.
Metheny is now preparing for his third season at Bowling Green and will return to his hometown for Friday’s 7 p.m. exhibition against West Virginia at The Coliseum.
The 5-foot-11 guard played in every game as a true freshman, but only 10 last season. An ankle injury caused Metheny to miss the final 21 games of the Falcons’ 2021-2022 campaign.
Now healthy, Metheny gets a chance Friday to play against a program he supported growing up.
“It is going to be crazy,” Metheny said Wednesday as a guest on CityNet Statewide Sportsline. “It will be awesome to play in front of a bunch of family and friends for the first time in my college career. Going back to Morgantown and playing in the Coliseum is going to be a crazy feeling.”
While the exhibition creates an interesting storyline for Metheny, he is doing his part to approach Friday’s exhibition like a business trip.
“I can say one thing right now, but when the moment comes, who knows what I am going to be thinking,” Metheny stated. “I am going to soak it in. The main thing is being able to play in front of everyone that has supported me throughout my life. For them to be able to see me go out there and play at the Division I level against WVU is going to mean the world to me. That is the biggest thing.”
Metheny excelled at University during his storied high school career. He left as the Hawks’ all-time leader in 3-pointers and was the recipient of the Bill Evans Award in 2020 as the state’s most outstanding player.
He averaged 25 points as a senior and sorted through several Division I offers before settling on the Falcons of the Mid-American Conference.
“The Division I level is completely different compared to high school basketball,” Metheny noted. “Being able to play with 6-foot-10 dudes on the court instead of a big man at 6-foot-5 and get my shot off over them. I have used my speed to my advantage. I have allowed the game to come to be instead of speeding it up. Trying to get a change of pace is the biggest thing. I was used to being able to blow by guys when I wanted to.”
After starting all 26 games in his first college season and being named to the MAC All-Freshman Team, Metheny started in Bowling Green’s first 10 games last season before being sidelined.
He has started 36 games in his college career, averaging 9.1 points in just over 27 minutes of play. Metheny, well-known throughout high school for his prowess on the perimeter, has made 56 triples in 186 attempts at BG, while adding 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals on average for his career.
Now he’s anxious to display improvement upon his return.
“Let the game come to me and not force certain things,” Metheny said on objectives for this year. “My first year, I had an OK year, but not what I wanted it to be. I forced some things and let the game speed me up. I feel more comfortable after two years. I know the game and system better, and being a leader and extension of the coach.”