PAGE A20, KEIZERTIMES, JUNE 11, 2021
SPORTS
McNary guard Nate Meithof drives to the bucket in a game against West Salem. Meithof will be playing college basketball at Westmont University next year.
Photo by MATT RAWLINGS of Keizertimes
Meithof signs to play at Westmont
BY MATT RAWLINGS
Of the Keizertimes
Nate Meithof has been one of the top
prep players in the state for the last two
years. This fall, he will be taking his skills
to the next level.
Last month, the senior shooting guard
signed his letter of intent to play college
basketball for Westmont University in
Santa Barbara, Calif.
“I am really excited to be able to get
the opportunity to show what I can do,”
Meithof said. “I am going to work as hard
as I can. It is going to be fun.”
As a junior, Meithof averaged over
23 points and nine rebounds per game
and was named the Mountain Valley
Conference co-Player of the Year. So far in
the COVID-19 shortened season, Meithof
is averaging 25 points per contest.
“I think it’s important that Nate goes to
a place where he can unpack his bags for
the next four years of his life. It's a great fit
basketball wise. It's a level where he will
have a ton of success and he will play for
a very good coaching staff,” McNary head
coach Ryan Kirch said. “Academics are
incredibly high there and he will be set
for his life from that standpoint.”
Meithof's basketball accolades speak
for themselves, but what he is most proud
of is being the first person in his bio-
logical family to have the opportunity
to attend college.
“It really feels like my first major
accomplishment,” Meithof said.
Meithof was one of the most sought
after juniors in the area in the winter of
2020. But when the pandemic hit, his
recruiting slowed down significantly.
However, there was one coach in partic-
ular that never took his eyes off Meithof.
After being an assistant at the school
for two years, Keizer-native Landon
Boucher took over the Westmont basket-
ball program in the spring of 2020. The
first player that he recruited was Meithof.
“My first phone call was to Kirch. I
knew Nate was a big-time player and I
knew that he could be a high-level player
for us,” Boucher said.
Nearly a year later, Meithof took
his official visit to Westmont with his
grandpa.
“It was a fun trip. I felt like I was step-
ping into a very welcoming environment,”
I felt like I had a
real connection
with the coaches
because we grew
up in the same
area.
— NATE MEITHOF
MCNARY GUARD
Meithof said. “A couple players showed
me around the campus, which was a lot
bigger than I realized.”
During the visit, Meithof got the
opportunity to play one-on-one with some
of the Westmont upperclassmen, which
was when Boucher realized the type of
potential Meithof has.
“I only was able to see what he could
do against high schoolers. But when I saw
him play against some of our seniors, we
all found out how gifted he is both offen-
sively and defensively,” Boucher said. “I
knew he was good, I just didn't realize how
good he was.”
One week after the visit, Meithof com-
mitted to play at Westmont. With Boucher,
and assistant coach Josh Erickson being
from Keizer, it was clear that the local
ties played a role in Meithof's decision —
Erickson graduated from McNary
in 2003 and was a part of the bas-
ketball team that took fourth place
in the '03 state tournament.
“I think a lot of it had to do with
the fact that me and Josh are both
Keizer guys. All three of us went
to the same schools when we were
growing up. I just feel like it was
meant to be,” Boucher said.
“I felt like I had a real connection
with the coaches because we grew
up in the same area. They were easy
to bond with,” Meithof added.
Before his senior year, Meithof
was planning to transfer to
Coranado High School in Henderson,
Nev., due to uncertainty around the prep
basketball situation in Oregon due to
COVID-19. But when the Nevada high
school season was canceled, Meithof
attended the R.O.N. Institute in Inglewood,
Calif. where he got the chance to further
hone his skills — the R.O.N. Institute is
a college prep school with an elite-level
basketball program for student-athletes
looking to play at the next level.
“I got a lot better by going out there. It
was a great experience,” Meithof said.
When the OSAA announced that there
would be a basketball season this sum-
mer, Meithof was able to transfer back to
McNary to finish out his senior year with
the Celtics.
With the collegiate season set to begin
in November, Meithof is already setting
individual and team goals for when he
gets to campus.
“I want to win the league and I want to
earn a starting spot. I think I can compete
with those guys really well,” Meithof said.
Meithof will be joining an elite offen-
sive team that scored more than 100
points in nearly half their contests last
season, and according to his new coach,
he is going to fit right in.
“Nate is an elite shot-maker and the
way he is able to create for himself is
unbelievable. He is going to have an
instant impact and be a part of a really
good team. We are thrilled to have him,”
Boucher said.