‘STORY OF SURVIVAL’

N

ate Kingz didn’t grow up with typical role models. Instead, he turned to fictional characters Goku and Vegeta from “Dragon Ball Z.”

In the famous anime series, both push each other through their rivalry, which turns into an alliance that saves the Earth on multiple occasions. Kingz isn’t saving the world. He plays basketball. However, basketball saved him.

“I feel like I’ve been alone most of my life in terms of trying to get it out of the mud with basketball … Them dudes work hard and make no excuses in life,” Kingz said of his childhood idols.

Kingz has been given plenty of reasons to make excuses throughout his life. He grew up in a foster home in Oregon, struggling to find comfort before he was adopted as a teenager. Although he starred on the court while training at the local Salvation Army and recreation centers, giving him purpose and an escape.

In his fifth college season and first with Syracuse, Kingz evolved into SU’s glue. He’s its top 3-point threat while often defending the opponent’s best guard. Kingz already earned an extra year of eligibility through a medical redshirt, which he used this season. And with two of his college seasons at the NAIA and junior college level, he holds a strong case for adding another year through a waiver.

Kingz said the waiver process is definitely something he’s thought about pursuing after the season. For now, though, he’s focusing on keeping Syracuse’s March Madness hopes alive through a miraculous Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament run in Charlotte.

“Basketball has been his outlet, his thing he can control,” said Ryan Kirsch, Kingz’s McNary High School coach. “He hasn’t had stability anywhere else. And so I think part of that drive to be really good is it’s something he has total power over.”

Kingz entered his name in the transfer portal after the 2024-25 season. He’d spent the last two years playing for his hometown team at Oregon State, helping the Beavers to a 20-win season while receiving his degree.

Kingz told his former Oregon State recruiter, Tim Shelton, he wanted to make a quick decision so he could get back to work. He fielded plenty of offers but chose Syracuse because of his trust in Adrian Autry, per Kingz’s mentor and former AAU coach Devon Richardson. Kingz’s agent is also the coach’s son, Adrian Autry Jr. Moving across the country didn’t cause any hesitation.

“He was like, ‘I’m a hooper,’” Richardson remembers Kingz saying. “‘Hoopers can live anywhere.’”

Kingz fit Autry and general manager Alex Kline’s defensive-minded vision. Offensively, Autry said they had Kingz “pigeonholed” as a catch-and-shoot guy because of his 44.6% mark from 3 a year ago. But he’s surprised the coaching staff with his playmaking, becoming one of Syracuse’s top options.

“He surpassed what we had him penciled in as, and we got a little bit more than we thought,” Autry admitted.

When it came to name, image and likeness money, Kingz wasn’t too worried, as most offers were on an even playing field, Richardson said. Any amount was far more than Kingz could’ve dreamed of.

Nate Kingz began his collegiate career at JUCO Westmont in Santa Barbara, California. He then transferred to the College of Southern Idaho. Next, he played two years at Oregon State, before transferring to Syracuse this season. Zoe Xixis | Asst. Photo Editor

Growing up, Kingz struggled to fit his body to his game. Kirsch said he was around 120 pounds as a freshman at McNary and didn’t eat much at home. Throughout high school, he rode his bike everywhere because he didn’t have his driver’s license.

Kingz sat on the bench as a freshman at McNary before developing into a starter as a sophomore. In his junior year, he became an all-state player. Kirsch said that, after the team’s daily two-hour practices, Kingz would bike home before heading back to the gym for another two hours to get shots up. The coaching staff told him to go home, but he refused.

“I don’t think I’ve met a kid that has had as many odds stacked against him as what Nate had,” Kirsch said.

While Kingz has become one of SU’s consistent bright spots, it didn’t start well. He shot just 31.8% from 3 in Syracuse’s 13 nonconference games. Before the Orange’s matchup with Boston College on Jan. 17, Kingz made a mental switch. He accepted he wouldn’t be able to play perfectly every game, alleviating pressure off himself.

The new mindset helped him shoot 40.6% from 3 through 17 ACC games and hit a game-winning layup against SMU. Now, those NAIA days are a distant memory.

Kingz’s senior year of high school was cut short by COVID-19, leaving him with few options to play at the next level. Richardson connected with a childhood friend, Landon Boucher, the head coach at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, to give Kingz an opportunity. Boucher thought he was obsessed with basketball. Then he met Kingz.

Before committing to Westmont, Kingz asked Kirsch three times to confirm he’d received a $70,000 per year scholarship. Kingz couldn’t believe it. More importantly, he had unlimited swipes at the campus dining halls.

Boucher previously only watched Kingz play on a “fuzzy screen” with empty crowds, but it took him 15 minutes in the first open gym to identify Kingz as the best player on his team. On one of the first weeks on campus, Boucher remembers Kingz looking him dead in the eyes and saying he wanted to play in the NBA. His work matched his goal.

“He had an irregular upbringing, and his escape was going to the gym and practicing by himself,” Boucher said. “When he came to Westmont, he did the same thing.”

After a prolific year at Westmont, Kingz looked to upgrade. Richardson said Kingz received multiple offers to move to the Division I level, but they weren’t good fits. Instead, he moved to the College of Southern Idaho to play for one of the nation’s top JUCO squads.

Sophia Burke | Digital Design Director

Trace Ross was a walk-on guard for CSI, while Kingz was one of its stars. But after nearly every practice, the two squared off like it was Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Kingz further developed his game through one-on-ones with teammates, something he’s continued at Syracuse.

“He loves the game more than any other person that I know,” Ross said. “I think he would say basketball saved his life.”

In the 2021 and 2022 offseasons, Kingz worked part-time at Jamba Juice for some extra cash. He worked at McDonald’s in the summer of 2023 and 2024, too. Kingz still stayed consistent on the court, leading the Golden Eagles in points per game and to a 29-2 record.

“He’s a great story of survival,” said Southern Idaho head coach Jeff Reinert. “He’s a pro in how he operates his life.”

Starring at the JUCO level produces attention. Once Southern Idaho excelled with Kingz at the forefront, he again fielded D-I offers. Then, a homecoming ensued.

Shelton, now an assistant coach at Colorado State, invited Kingz on an unofficial visit to Oregon State while home on winter break in 2022. Shelton saw Kingz’s eyes light up on campus, envisioning himself playing for his hometown team.

Later in the season, with Southern Idaho playing in Hutchinson, Kansas, at the NJCAA championships, Shelton and Oregon State head coach Wayne Tinkle watched Kingz. Shelton remembers Kingz playing within the offense, doing little worth noting. Then, in the second half, Kingz exploded for multiple 3s, grabbing Tinkle and other coaches’ attention.

Although he had more options, Kingz decided to return home. But just like most of his life, survival didn’t come easy. Shelton departed for Colorado State, and ahead of the 2023-24 season, Kingz tore his ACL. He was forced to watch from the sidelines.

When he returned to action, Kingz became one of the Beavers’ top options. He started every game he played in for Oregon State, and his 20 points in 39 minutes against then-No. 16 Gonzaga helped deliver an overtime upset. Kingz emerged as one of the nation’s top 3-point threats. His work had paid off.

“It’s fuel to the fire,” Richardson said. “He’s been in one place before. And knowing that you’ve been in one place before and knowing that you have a chance to change your life for the better and can potentially change your family’s life, that’s all the drive that he’s ever had and ever needed.”

Kingz changed his last name from Meithof — the name of his adopted family — to Kingz in May 2024 ahead of his breakout campaign. It’s a childhood nickname and a way for Kingz to forge his own legacy while leaving past troubles behind.

Even with success at Oregon State, it wasn’t home. Basketball is, wherever that may be.

Richardson said Kingz and his team have “got the ball rolling” on gathering information to present a case for another year of college eligibility. He’s not sure if any paperwork has been formally submitted, but knows Kingz will exert all options to add to his resume if given the chance.

The case of former Vanderbilt quarterback and JUCO product Diego Pavia certainly gives Kingz a chance at gaining another year. After all he’s been through, Syracuse’s trip to Charlotte can’t be the end.

“I’m gonna go play, anywhere, anytime,” Kingz said. “That’s just the person I am, and that’s best for me. That’s been my whole life.”

Photograph by Tara Deluca | Asst. Photo Editor

Published on March 5, 2026 at 12:00 am