How Collin Metcalf Was Shaped By Worldwide Experiences

When the lights dim pregame at XFINITY Center, and the bass is pulsing through the arena, one announcement during player introductions catches the ear:

“At center, the 6-9 senior from Nortorf, Germany, number 45, Collin Metcalf.”

But Nortorf is just one of many places that Metcalf’s called home over the years. That’s the life of a military family. Metcalf’s worldwide journey is one that could have hindered his collegiate basketball aspirations, but instead, it’s one that’s given him an eye for the genuine and taught him valuable life lessons. 

“Traveling around taught me that I’m always going to truly be me,” Metcalf said. “Good days, bad days, horrible days, the best days, I’m going to always try to be positive, true to myself, and not let my area affect who I am.”

From Germany to South Korea to several states and time zones, Metcalf’s seen it all. He’s experienced countless cultures and interacted with people from all walks of life. It taught him that people are more similar than different, and connected by compassion.

“Everybody’s just trying to be happy,” Metcalf said. “Nobody wants to be upset. Nobody wants their favorite team losing. Nobody wants to be late. Everybody just wants to be happy and live their lives. That’s the same everywhere.”

Metcalf’s father is an army man, so his family moved around a lot. At the time, it was letting him experience new cultures and lifestyles, but in a way, he says, it was also preparing him for the modern era of college athletics. 

“It’s the same as being in the transfer portal,” Metcalf said. “Every two years, your dad could be moving somewhere else, so every two years, you have to pack up and leave. It may just be across the country, or it may be across the world.”

The only true consistencies of Metcalf’s upbringing were travel and community. While one could have hindered his chances of fulfilling his collegiate aspirations, the other made sure he always had people lifting him up along the way.

“It was all about reaching out to people,” Metcalf said. “When I moved back to the United States, I was lucky enough that I had people who could work me out and things like that, but in order to get to that point, I had to reach out. You can always find a gym anywhere, so it’s all about the connections you can form.”

Metcalf used contacts and contacts of contacts to help him grow as a basketball player during his worldly travels. With basketball being the global sport it is — and the military community being so tightly-knit — there was always someone along every stop of Metcalf’s journey to move him along the line. 

“You have to learn to make friends quickly, or you might be the kid sitting at the lunch table in the back corner by the trash can,” Metcalf said. 

To do that, Metcalf learned a basic truth that helped him build community all over the world: nobody likes a jerk.

“Basketball is all about trusting the people around you,” Metcalf said. “Especially in the era of the transfer portal, you’re only on a team for a year. I don’t have time to have my guard up. I just have to blindly trust everyone, so I want to be my authentic self to build that trust quickly. If you can’t trust your teammates from day one, it’s going to be a long season for you.”

Off the court, Metcalf used his large frame to excel in another sport and expand his athletic prowess. 

“Volleyball helped in every single aspect,” Metcalf said. “Every person on the court has to be moving as one fluid machine. There are so many mechanics to playing, and if one guy isn’t doing his job, you could lose an entire set. Volleyball taught me a lot about being a good teammate, and being ready for anything.”

In the blink of an eye, a volleyball could find its way to Metcalf faster than a basketball ever could, so his hand-eye coordination reached new heights. 

“Volleyball was a great teaching tool for the basic fundamentals of being a bit more athletic,” Metcalf said. “The jumping, the quick reactions, the running, the receiving, all that stuff helped me grow as an athlete.”

His overall athleticism brought him to another stop on his journey: Northeastern University, where he played for three seasons before entering the transfer portal — a realm he navigated by drawing on his previous life experiences.

“Being in the transfer portal, there’s a lot of stuff you have to sift through,” Metcalf said. “There are a lot of people who will say all the good things you want to hear. They’ll tell you that you’ll play X amount or make X amount of money, or that they’ll build the offense around you.”

But as a player, Metcalf says, you have to know your own limitations. You have to be able to recognize when something sounds too good to be true. 

“Are they trying to gas you up?” Metcalf said. “Are they telling you things you want to hear so you'll commit early? Or are they telling you the truth and telling you what it’s really going to be like when you get there?”

He met Buzz Williams, and Metcalf’s eye for genuineness and authenticity found him a new home in College Park. 

“Buzz is very transparent,” Metcalf said. “He told me that he had his guys and his system, and I was going to have to work for it. Hearing that from a coach was kind of like ‘okay, I like that he’s going to be honest with me from the jump.’ He’s been honest with me through the entire process, and that’s what Iove.”

As the season’s gone on, Metcalf worked his way into a starting role in Williams’ system. A dominant presence on the boards, he’s helped the Terps in their rebounding efforts as he makes an impact in his final season of college basketball.

“At the start of the season, I had a rough time,” Metcalf admitted. “I had some medical issues, and I was learning how to bounce back from them. It took a while for me to get back in shape. I wasn’t able to lift or run, and I had to learn some of the concepts on the fly, but Buzz was patient with me and waited for me to be able to learn his system and execute it on the court. This is my last season, so I have to play as hard as I can with every minute I’ve got left.”

Metcalf will be one of the seniors honored as the Terps battle Illinois on Sunday as he competes at XFINITY Center one final time, sealing the latest chapter in a dreamlike chapter for the world traveler. 

“Standing in that area, it’s unlike anywhere I’ve ever been before,” Metcalf said. “I’ve never been in front of crowds that big. I never thought that I’d play at an arena that people see on TV. Thinking about my process and journey, it’s like, ‘wow, I’m here.’ I’m just so grateful.”

College Park may just be the latest in a lifetime of stops in Metcalf’s journey, but he’s convinced it’ll be a place that holds special meaning for him for decades to come.

“I love the people that I’ve met here,” Metcalf said. “From the staff, to my teammates, to the professors, there’s a really good community here. I want to come back in 20 years and tell my kids, ‘yo, this is where I went to school, and it was a really good choice’.”