San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)

CAL’S CURRY PREPARES TO STEP UP

Sophomore feels she’s got things to prove even after leading the Pac-12 in scoring

- By Marisa Ingemi

Jayda Curry’s recruitmen­t to Cal didn’t include any trips to Berkeley. It did involve the student band playing for her over a Zoom meeting, though.

The Bears’ sophomore standout joined a Cal program that had won a single game the season before she would arrive. A high school senior during the peak of COVID, she visited only one of the five schools recruiting her.

In some ways, there was risk heading to Cal. It was a rebuilding program and Curry hadn’t met anyone there in person. After a freshman season for the ages, she has embraced her role as Cal’s centerpiec­e.

“Expectatio­ns get higher,” she said. “There’s no pressure, but there is also a lot of pressure, from my perspectiv­e. I put that pressure on myself and my expectatio­ns should be higher.”

Curry burst onto the scene as the first freshman to ever lead the Pac-12 in scoring, averaging 18.6 points per game. It came as a surprise, considerin­g Curry was not among ESPN HoopGurlz’s top 100 recruits in the class of 2021, giving Cal no top recruits for the second time in eight years. The Bears had four top 100 recruits in 2020 alone.

She was the Pac-12 freshman of the week five times, including three consecutiv­e weeks to begin the season.

For an underclass­man, a lot rides on her shoulders. Head coach Charmin Smith wants to make sure Curry is getting the support she needs.

“We put a lot of pressure on her last year, probably too much,” said Smith, whose Bears finished second-to-last in the Pac-12 at 2-10 and were 11-13 overall. “I think she handled it well. There was some times where she was banged up a little bit and that made things challengin­g for her, but the good thing about Jayda is she is such a good teammate, she’s extremely coachable, and that makes it easy. I’m happy that we have more help for her this year.”

As a freshman Curry averaged 34.5 minutes per game, the fifthhighe­st in the nation for a firstyear player. The Bears could rely on her even more heavily, Smith said, even while trying to balance out the scoring a bit more with the additions of some transfers.

Curry was not named to the coaches’ all-Pac-12 team at the end of the season — the first conference scoring leader to be snubbed for the honor. She lost out on the conference’s freshman of the year award to Utah’s Gianna Kneepkens, who averaged 11.8 points per game.

It gives Curry something else to prove.

“I think I’m my biggest critic, besides my dad,” Curry said. “It’s a good thing to push yourself but also to give yourself some grace, because I want to take a step up from last year.”

Curry majors in American studies with a focus in sports

management and marketing. She is a big reader — currently taking in “All About Love” by Bell Hooks with freshman Amaya Bonner, who accompanie­s Curry to bookstores — but said mainly, she “just does a lot of basketball.”

Curry began playing at 4 years old with her younger sister, Layla, who plays at Loyola Marymount. When Curry was 10, she took No. 30 — which she wears now — because her favorite NBA player was Stephen Curry; no relation.

“I hear it a lot,” she said with a smile. “I changed my number for a bit in high school, but 30 is my number again. It's cool to share with someone like (Steph Curry), being in the Bay Area.”

She was a part of Corona Centennial High School's first-ever Southern California regional title, scoring 27 points in the championsh­ip game. She had been named the state player of the year by several organizati­ons before arriving in Berkeley.

Curry first took up gymnastics as a kid but moved on to basketball once she determined it was something she wanted to continue into her adult years.

Curry cites her defense as her biggest area of improvemen­t. She has been watching film from practices to spot where her tendencies need adjustment.

She spent the offseason focusing on the mental side of the game, something Smith was glad to see from such a young athlete. Especially because this season, Curry isn't going to sneak up on anybody. Teams are going to key in on Cal's biggest threat.

“She knows we need her in so many different ways,” Smith said. “More than just scoring points, she's got to be a leader for us.”

Curry, who boasts several academic accolades alongside her athletic ones, is a student of the history of the game, especially at Cal, which has made 11 NCAA Tournament appearance­s in the past 16 years, including a Final Four in 2013.

When choosing among several offers, including from San Diego State, Utah, Washington and Arizona State, the idea of helping to build a program from almost the ground up was attractive. Smith sold that element well; not only would Curry be the centerpiec­e of the Bears from her first season on, but she would get to be a part of a potentiall­y historic turnaround.

“I wanted to help this team get back to where it was before,” she said. “We were a Final Four team before. We can win championsh­ips and a lot more games and be better overall.”

Against Stanford in January, Curry got a taste of the big stage against a defending NCAA champion and seized the moment, showcasing her skills in a career-high 30-point performanc­e.

She's eager for her next opportunit­y in the spotlight.

The Bears were picked to finish 11th in the conference by media and coaches. Curry said her next step is leading Cal to more wins, and back to bigger stages.

“All the work I've put in has led up to this,” she said. “I am grateful it has come to fruition, I got to prove myself right.”

“We can win championsh­ips and a lot more games.”

Jayda Curry on the Cal women’s basketball program

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 ?? Photos by Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle ?? Cal sophomore Jayda Curry was the Pac-12's leading scorer last season. Below: Assistant coach Eliza Pierre works with Curry.
Photos by Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle Cal sophomore Jayda Curry was the Pac-12's leading scorer last season. Below: Assistant coach Eliza Pierre works with Curry.
 ?? Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle ?? Jayda Curry, who led the Pac-12 in scoring as a freshman, slaps hands with teammates during basketball practice at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley.
Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle Jayda Curry, who led the Pac-12 in scoring as a freshman, slaps hands with teammates during basketball practice at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley.

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