Liam McChesney: The 'Swiss Army Knife for Illinois State' leads Redbirds to victory over Belmont in Sunday NCAA Hoops play

Prince Rupert's Liam McChesney heard some strong praise from his coach on Sunday after the former CHSS Rainmaker had a big day on the court for Illinois State in Sunday NCAA Action.

In a strong performance, that was a career high in the NCCA for the Redbird starter, McChesney was part of a huge push in the second half as the Illinois side bested a highly rated Belmont by a score of 87 to 77. 

The Rupert Rainmaker alumnus making for one of his most impressive appearances since arriving at Illinois State, the big forward topped the team scoring on the day with 25 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks.

In post game Comments, head coach Ryan Pedon referenced the Prince Rupert baller as the "Swiss Army knife" for the Redbirds, noting of his progress as part of the Redbird program.

"People don't realize the advantage he provides for us with his length and his versatility. 

He can do a lot of things well and I think he's growing into a bigger role this year than he's played at the collegiate level.

And I'm going to ask him to do ... more, because I think that he's capable of that.

And it will take some time for him to grow into that. 

But Liam McChesney can become a special player and he impacted the game tonight in a lot of different ways and I'm really proud of him"

You can review the praise for the play of McChesney on Sunday here.

From his success on the court the Rupertite was also part of the post game Q and A portion of the day, McChesney sharing the podium with teammates Luke Kasubke and Seneca Knight.

For his part he noted of the work of his teammates to put him in the position to find success on the court, while his teammates observed how his play on the day attracted the attention of the Belmont side, which opened up the court for the rest of players on the court.

The post game commentary can be checked out here.

The Redbirds have only started the long road ahead in NCAA basketball which culminates in the March Madness celebration of the sport.

So far, the Rupert forward has been a frequent starter for the team, with Sunday's results an indication of growing confidence with his role on the Redbirds roster.

You can review the notes from the game here, along with  Boxscore from the scoring explosion.

More notes on Prince Rupert athletes at University sports can be explored here.