College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday.
Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month.
While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year.
Photo: AFP
Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a highly underrated player, praising her poise, leadership and playmaking abilities.
“Though undersized, Chen’s ability to elevate teammates and control the tempo is similar to other guards,” an ESPN report said on Monday.
“Chen’s versatility and leadership make her a reliable, impactful addition at the next level, and she’s set to join a long line of UConn greats in the WNBA,” the report said.
Photo: AFP
Chen’s UConn teammate Paige Bueckers, who was the first player chosen in the draft, advocated for Chen and fellow teammate Aubrey Griffin to be selected.
“I think two teams or one team would be genius to add Kaitlyn Chen and Aubrey Griffin,” she said.
Griffin was selected seven picks after Chen by the Minnesota Lynx.
In her one year at UConn, the 1.75m-tall Chen averaged 6.9 points, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals in 23 minutes per game.
Chen’s parents are Taiwanese immigrants to the US.
She was born and raised in San Marino, California.
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