Chen Yue had little trepidation about coming 6,000 miles from Beijing to Cal to play for the 21st-ranked Golden Bears.

The 6-foot-7 freshman center, who is believed to be one of the first Chinese basketball players to play at a high college level, wanted to challenge herself both on the court and in the classroom. So heading to the U.S. was an easy decision.

“American colleges have a high level of basketball and academics,” she said. “It helps you not only with basketball, but for your whole life. It develops your whole character for the future.”

She is one of 275 international players competing this season in women’s Division I basketball. Nearly 50 different countries are represented, including Russia, Spain, Australia, Brazil, Senegal, Canada and China. While that number is down a little bit from last season when over 300 foreigners were playing, there has been an upward trend over the past few years. Last season 4.9 percent of women’s players were from foreign countries.

Daniel Prince, who runs Passion Hoops International — a company that helps foreign players connect with American colleges, said that number will keep rising. He has helped over 120 of the current women’s international players find schools, including Chen.  The schools pay a fee for Prince’s scouting services, getting access to a vast database of international players.

“There’s a lot more talent down the road wanting to come here and that will only help the game grow,” he said.

Prince heard about Chen and knew she’d draw a lot of interest from top colleges. Her parents played professionally in China and she wanted to get a great education. Her transition to Berkeley has gone smoothly so far. It helps that nearly 20 percent of Cal’s freshmen class is Chinese.

“It’s not that different from home,” said Chen, who grew up in Beijing. “It definitely makes a difference that there are a lot of Chinese students here.”

On the court, Chen is still adjusting. She’s played in eight games so far, averaging 2 points. The biggest difference for her is the physicality of play in the U.S. where players are stronger and there is a lot more contact allowed.