Can Cal Freshman Star Jayda Curry Continue Hot Start in Pac-12 Play?
Cal freshman Jayda Curry has been a surprise to everyone but herself, but now, with the start of Pac-12 play on Friday at Washington State, we'll see whether her extraordinary start can continue against the best college players in the country.
Curry's numbers while helping the Golden Bears to a 9-2 record in nonconference games are stunning. She leads the Pac-12 in scoring at 20.09 points per game, which also makes her the top-scoring freshman in the nation.
"I think she is a lot more than what I expected," said Cal coach Charmin Smith, who had never seen Curry play in person until Curry arrived on campus.
It's more than anyone expected. After all, Curry was not among ESPN HoopGurlz's top 100 recruits in the class of 2021. Cal's 2020 freshman class had four players ranked in the top 100, with Dalayah Daniels at No. 13. In fact Cal has had at least one top-100 player in seven of the eight previous years before drawing a blank in 2021.
But that tells you something about the inaccurate science of basketball recruiting rankings, because Curry is already on the verge of stardom.
Is Curry surprised by her productive start?
"I don't think surprised," she said. "It's just a testament to all the hard work "
The hard work started when she was 4 years old, when her father started Jayda and her 3-year-old sister on basketball. By the time she was about 10 years old, she knew she wanted to wear No. 30. That's because Steph Curry wore No. 30, and even though the two Currys are not related, she admired the Warriors guard and even plays like him.
"I definitely picked that number because of Steph," she said in the video below.
She has never met Steph, but has had contact. Sort of.
"I got a birthday shout-out from him a couple of years ago, but I'm not sure he even knows who I am," Jayda Curry said.
The Golden State guard may get an inkling of who Jayda Curry is if she continues to put up big numbers. And Jayda Curry looks at the comparison to Steph as motivation.
"Being in the Bay and having that number, I think you've got to live up to it a little bit, because Steph's in the Bay and wears that number," she said.
She still watches Steph closely.
"I really try to study how he shoots, and how he plays in general and how he scores and moves without the ball," she said. "It's hard to even try to shoot like Steph because it looks so effortless."
Although Jayda Curry is known for her three-point shooting -- her 2.3 three-pointers made per game are sixth in the Pac-12 -- she is adept scoring off the dribble as well. She leads the Pac-12 in both free throws attempted (5.6) and made (4.4) per game, a testament to her willingness to penetrate and score from close range.
And she can score in bunches. She went 0-for-6 in the first half of Cal's most recent game against Saint Mary's, and did not score her first point until she hit a free throw with two minutes left in the first half. She still finished the game with 18 points and the Bears posted an 18-point win.
However, the question now is whether she'll be able to do it against Pac-12 competition. The Bears' nonconference schedule was rather soft, and the Pac-12 is considered the best women's basketball conference in country. Plus conference foes will game plan specifically for Curry, something nonconference opponents seldom do.
"I talked to her about what's coming; I know people are going to be keying in on Jayda," Smith said. "I think she has the goods. I think she can do it. But heading into Pac-12 play we know that everyone's going to coming for her to try to lock her down defensively."
Curry knows Pac-12 play will be a bigger challenge, starting with Friday's road game against Washington State, which is 8-3 overall and 4-0 at home.
"I'm looking forward to seeing how I personally can adjust and how our team can adjust," she said. "It's definitely something I'll have to figure out, but I definitely think I'll be able to and our team as well will be able to figure that out."
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Cover photo of Jayda Curry by Chris Leung
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Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53
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