Chukwunonso Nduka "BeeJay" Anya (born March 9, 1995) is an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. He played college basketball for the NC State Wolfpack. He was named Atlantic Coast Conference Sixth Man of the Year in 2015. Anya represented the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

youth team at the

2012 FIBA Under-17 World Championship The 2012 FIBA Under-17 World Championship (Lithuanian: 2012 m. FIBA iki 17 metų pasaulio čempionatas) was the 2nd edition of the FIBA Under-17 World Championship, the biennial international men's youth basketball championship contested by the U ...

, winning the gold medal.

College career

Anya played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for

NC State North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...

where he was best known for his shot blocking ability. During his sophomore season in a game against

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, he set the NC State school record for blocks in a single game with 10. In setting the record, Anya at one point recorded 4 blocks in a single possession. His 91 blocks during the 2014–2015 season put him second on the NC State single season blocks list, behind

Thurl Bailey Thurl is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Thurl Bailey (born 1961), American basketball player * Thurl Ravenscroft Thurl Arthur Ravenscroft (; February 6, 1914May 22, 2005) was an American actor and bass singer. He was kn ...

's 95 blocks in 1983. Anya entered the 2015–2016 season in 5th place on NC State's career blocks list with 137 career blocks. He finished his career with the Wolfpack in 2017 with 243 career blocked shots, a school record. Anya also holds the record for longest wingspan recorded for a non-7-foot player in the NBA Draft Express database for basketball prospects, with a wingspan of 7 ft 9 in.

Professional career

In January 2020, Anya signed with TLN Kalev of the

Latvian-Estonian Basketball League The Latvian-Estonian Basketball League is the highest professional men's club basketball league in Latvia and Estonia; it has been organised since 2018, run by the Latvian Basketball Association and the Estonian Basketball Association. History ...

where he appeared in two games. In January 2021, Anya signed with Torta del Casar Extremadura of the Spanish Liga EBA where he appeared in one game.

Personal

Anya is of Nigerian descent, his father Ben Anya having played soccer while growing up. His sister Stephanie competed as a

center for American University.

References

External links

NC State Wolfpack bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anya, BeeJay 1995 births Living people Basketball players from Maryland Centers (basketball) DeMatha Catholic High School alumni NC State Wolfpack men's basketball players People from Cheverly, Maryland Power forwards (basketball) American people of Nigerian descent American men's basketball players