Matthew “Deftly” Chen, the professional League of Legends player with experience on teams like Cloud9 and Evil Geniuses, has joined the UTD Esports program as a League of Legends coach! The team will be focusing heavily on preparing for and competing in the developer-supported Collegiate League of Legends (CLoL) tournament, which boasts hundreds of schools from around the nation of all sizes and divisions and a hefty prize pool. Read below for a short Q&A:

1. What led you to UT Dallas?

I was born and raised in Plano, Texas, so it seemed natural and familiar to come back home and attend school here.

2. Why did you want to join the UTD Esports program?

I want to help UTD in any way I can in terms of coaching or playing to bring them home a trophy.

3. What are you looking forward to most about being a part of the team?

I’m looking forward to interacting with my new teammates and meeting new people.

4. Are there any major goals you have?

The goal for me is to win it all in the collegiate circuit.

5. How confident are you coming on board and competing with/coaching the League of Legends team? Do you think you guys will be able to make it to playoffs?

I believe that without a doubt we will make playoffs and have a deep run within it.

6. What do you hope to gain by being a part of the esports program?

I hope to create new friendships that will last beyond college and also create memories that i can smile about looking back at.