In the age of NIL, revenue sharing, and the transfer portal, it is becoming increasingly unusual for players to stay at a single institution for multiple seasons or even their entire career. What is becoming more common is players suiting up for a different team almost every season. According to CBS Sports, this season there are 22 high-major scholarship players who will celebrate Senior Day having played all four years at the same school.
For Liberty basketball, the Flames have been able to benefit this season by having a core nucleus of Zach Cleveland, Colin Porter, and Kaden Metheny who have each played together for the prior three seasons. Cleveland and Porter have spent their entire four-year careers at Liberty, becoming an integral part of the program’s success as the Flames transitioned from the ASUN to Conference USA. Metheny began his college career at Bowling Green before transferring to Liberty and joining Cleveland and Porter for the past three seasons. All three have had opportunities to play elsewhere or even move on from college basketball, but they have decided to finish what they started at Liberty.
“We had the good fortune of Zach, Kaden, and Colin, because of their affinity for one another, for Liberty, for being a part of this program, they stayed,” said Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay. “It’s no small thing that they stayed. They didn’t even put their names in (the portal). I think their durability and elasticity in our program has helped elevate the trajectory and the consistency that we’ve been able to experience.”
As Liberty, and this core group of three players, prepare for the final two games at Liberty Arena this season this week, the Flames are having unprecedented success. Currently 24-5 overall and 16-2 in CUSA play, Cleveland, Porter, and Metheny have each played a huge part in that success, helping Liberty to a second straight outright CUSA regular season title. This is the first time in program history the Flames have ever won consecutive, outright regular season titles. It is also the first time someone has won consecutive CUSA regular season titles since Middle Tennessee did so in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
Opposing coaches have commented on how important those three have been to Liberty’s success all season.
“Ritchie has done a great job, but what they have is pretty unique,” said FAU head coach John Jakus on November 9 after the Flames defeated his Owls. “Their retention of those three guys – the two guards and Cleveland – and then you throw (Brett) Decker in there, you’re just not getting that in college basketball. There’s a reason they were the unanimous pick to win Conference USA.”
Earlier this season, the Flames won a program best 17 straight games and started conference play an unprecedented 15-0.
“Their best players have been there the whole time,” said Middle Tennessee head coach Nick McDevitt on January 29th after Liberty knocked off the Blue Raiders, calling the Flames a “unicorn” of a team. “(Metheny) has played almost 90 games there. Cleveland has played 115 games there. Porter has played 120-something games there, and they’ve all played together. You see their offensive chemistry. They are on the same page without saying anything. You get that in athletics. They are good offensively. They are different. Their team is different. They’ve just been together for a while and that’s why they are really good.”
The generously listed 5’10” Porter is from Ashland, Kentucky where he starred at Paul G. Blazer High School before coming to Lynchburg. Once he got on campus, it was obvious that he would impact the team. He started his first collegiate game and has been a mainstay in the Liberty starting lineup ever since. As a freshman, he proved how clutch of a player he was in the ASUN Conference tournament, scoring what still stands as his career high 25 points to help lift the Flames over Eastern Kentucky in the semifinals. In the championship game, on the road at Kennesaw State, Porter hit a clutch three-pointer with 24 seconds remaining to tie the game. Those were just glimpses into what Porter would bring to Liberty throughout his career.
“Colin Porter is the most underrated, unheralded point guard in America,” said McKay. “He’s elite. He does so much for our team. I wish he got more recognition for all of the sacrifices and investment that he makes in our group.”
Part of the same recruiting class, Cleveland had a little bit more of a slow ramp up towards his current impact on the team. There was a stretch of six games in the heart of conference play during his freshman season that Cleveland didn’t play, coaches’ decision. The 6’7″ point forward from Bloomington, Illinois, saw his playing time increase down the stretch run, even leading the team with 12 rebounds in the first round NIT win over Villanova. It was his sophomore year that he became a fixture in the Liberty starting lineup, frequently flashing his ability to impact the game in a variety of ways from scoring to rebounding to his unique ability to run the offense.
“The unicorn,” McKay said of Cleveland. “It’s always a puzzle when you see how teams are playing him. The neat thing for me is he figures it out before we can get to teh bench. He just figures it out. He will organize the chess pieces and try to take advantage of it.”
Metheny has been an elite three-point shooter throughout his three seasons with the Flames. He reached double figures scoring in 66 of his 95 games played at Liberty with 16 20-point games. He made 16 threes in three games at the 2025 CUSA Tournament in Huntsville, Alabama, highlighted by his 24 points and seven made triples to propel Liberty to come from behind to defeat Kennesaw State before ultimately earning CUSA Tournament MVP for his performance after scoring 21 points in the championship game against Jacksonville State.
“Kaden Metheny is an absolute joy to coach that is a killer,” McKay said. “He’s a hard guard. He can score in a variety of ways. He’s incredibly unselfish.”
On Saturday against Sam Houston, Liberty will recognize a large group of seniors prior to the game include this big three of Porter, Metheny, and Cleveland. As their collegiate playing careers come to a close, the impact they have had on this program will continue.
In a season defined by expectations and opportunity, Liberty’s Big Three didn’t just live up to the hype – they elevated it. Colin Porter’s leadership and steady hand, Zach Cleveland’s versatility and relentless motor, and Kaden Metheny’s shot-making and competitive fire have become the heartbeat of this team. Night after night they’ve delivered in different ways, proving that their impact goes far beyond the box score. But what makes this trio special isn’t just talent – it’s trust. They trust each other in big moments. They embrace the spotlight. When Liberty needs a bucket, a stop, or a spark, one of them inevitably answers the call.
As the season pushes towards its conclusion, one thing is clear: the Flames go as their Big Three go. With Porter, Cleveland, and Metheny leading the way, the Flames aren’t just chasing wins and championships – they’re building something lasting.
“I’m incredibly blessed with the moments I’ve gotten with them,” McKay said. “I could go on and on about the contributions they’ve made to Liberty basketball on the floor – it’s immense, it’s probably well documented – but you will never know the impact or the influence they have had on our room in the different spaces in which we have ventured. It’s been an outright privilege to have been a part of their journeys.”
