Cal Women's Basketball: Jayda Curry Still Lighting It Up
Plenty of questions surround Cal's women's basketball team heading into its season opener against CSUN on Monday, but one thing is certain: Jayda Curry can still score.
Curry, the Pac-12's leading scorer last season as a freshman, poured in 30 points in Thursday's 80-58 exhibition-game victory over Vanguard, an NAIA school. And she did it by hitting 10-of-13 shots, including a remarkable 8-for-10 on 3-point shots in 29 minutes of court time.
Charmin Smith, who is beginning her fourth season as Cal's head coach and looking for her first winning season with the Bears, probably liked the minutes column in Curry's statistical line most of all.
Smith feels she has more depth this season than last season, when the Bears finished 11-13 overall and 2-10 in the conference. And she does not want Curry and senior point guard Leilani McIntosh averaging 36 minutes a game as they did last season in Pac-12 games.
Smith gave 10 players 13 minutes or more on Thursday, and that could become a habit. It could be 11 when Jadyn Bush is ready to return after missing Thursday's game with an illness.
Two transfers -- Kemery Martin (from Utah) and Peanut Tuitele (from Colorado -- were in the starting lineup Thursday along with three returning starters -- Curry, McIntosh and Evelien Luje Schipholt. Martin is a versatile perimeter player who contributed five points, six assists and three rebounds in her 20 minutes on the court, and Tuitele had two points and two rebounds in 18 minutes.
Schipholt had 16 points, but Smith wants another post player to contribute offensively, and she wants the entire team to play better defense, which was a shortcoming against the smaller, overmatched Vanguard team.
Smith cited two things that, if accomplished, will lead to a successful season for the Bears.
"If we can become a better defensive team, and if we have more than one post player in double figures," she said.
Getting that second post player in double figures could be a challenge. It could be Michelle Onyiah, who had 10 rebounds but just four points in 18 minutes of court time. The other possibility is Bush, who started 11 games last year but missed most of the season with an injury.
Cal is without Dalayah Daniels, who was Cal's leading scorer two years ago as a freshman but transferred to Washington in the offseason, and Jazlen Green, the Bears' No. 2 scorer last season who is not with the team this season by her own choice. Smith said it's unclear whether she will return to the team next season.
However, the Bears still have Curry, who is taking over a leadership role as a sophomore.
"She's just more mature," Smith said. "More vocal, speaking in the locker room after the game."
Curry averaged 18.6 points last season and figures to continue to be Cal's top offensive threat. It's the other end that has Curry's attention this season.
"My emphasis is on being a better two-way player," she said, "so emphasis on the defensive side. And the mental aspect of the game, watching more film."
The Bears were picked to finish 11th in the coaches preseason Pac-12 poll, and Cal will need to play better defense and give Curry some help on offense to better that prediction.
One player who could help immediately is freshman Amaya Bonner. She did not seem tentative in her first collegiate action Thursday, playing aggressively while scoring seven points and hitting one of her two 3-point shots in her 13 minutes of playing time.
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Cover photo of Charmin Smith
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