Liberty men’s basketball alum Ray Chen was selected No. 1 overall in the recent Chinese Basketball Association Draft.
“We are so proud of Ray and all the hard work he put into his craft,” head coach Ritchie McKay said. “Although he may not have received the playing time he wanted here at Liberty, he was a great teammate and a better person. His skillset and work ethic will result in a successful career in the CBA.”
In one season at Liberty as a graduate student, Chen played in all 35 games during the 2016-17 season. Chen played his best during non-conference, scoring a season-high 14 points twice against UNCG and in Liberty’s season opener against Cairn. After training in Lynchburg after the season, Chen was identified as the best prospect in preparation for the CBA Draft.
Chen is now the fourth player that McKay has coached at Liberty that has been able to play professionally joining Seth Curry (Dallas Mavericks), Alex McLean (Overseas), Jesse Sanders (Overseas) and Anthony Smith (Overseas).
To stand out, Chen participated in the William Jones Cup in Taiwan where he was the tournament’s leading scorer with 20.38 points per game. Prior to arriving at Liberty, Chen played at Belmont Abbey where he averaged 16 points and 3.5 assists per contest. At Belmont Abbey, Chen earned Conference Carolinas third team all-conference honors, closing out his career with 1,084 points.
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