Shortly after landing guard Mia Mastrov, Cal women’s basketball added a second player to their 2021 recruiting class in guard Jayda Curry out of Centennial High School in Corona, CA. Curry is excited to join the Cal program and caught up with GoldenBearReport.com about what she’s looking forward to about her time at Cal.

While Curry committed to Cal for a lot of reasons, education was atop her list. Curry has a 4.5 GPA and really values the academic opportunities that Cal offers.

“I think a lot of factors,” Curry said about why she chose Cal. “Number one was the education piece. That put them over the top. Them being in the Pac-12 was important as well, but the education was really important as they really help their students.”

In addition to the academic piece, Curry was really impressed with head coach Charmin Smith and her ability to help her take her game to the next level. The chance to play for a black head coach who has so much knowledge and wisdom to impart made Cal a really attractive destination.

“Charmin [Smith] being a black head coach was a huge factor as well,” Curry said. “She played in the WNBA and that is something I want to do as well. I kind of found about it [her WNBA career]. She mentioned it in an interview on Instagram and that played an important role. Knowing I played for someone who has done it before.”

In regard to what she wants to bring to Cal on the hardwood, Curry wants to bring leadership above anything else. Even though she’s coming in as a freshman, Curry has high standards for herself and doesn’t want anyone to give her any breaks.

“Combo guard is what I usually say, but I’m really a point guard who can score very well,” Curry said of her position. “I expect to come in and make an immediate impact. Being an impact player scoring wise, defensive wise. Leadership. Being a leader even though I’ll be a freshman.”

One thing that helps Curry is that she already has relationships with a few of Cal’s current players: Cailyn Crocker, Leilani McIntosh, and Jazlen Green. By knowing some of her future teammates and already having an established relationship with them, that’s going to make the transition to Cal all the more smooth for her.

“I want to take information from Cailyn and Jazzy and listen to what they have to say,” Curry said. “Lei and Cailyn played for West Coast Premier as well. With Jazzy, she played at Lakeside, which is a different school. We built a strong relationship as well. But those three are the ones I’m connected to.”

Due to the nature of the current pandemic, Curry wasn’t able to take any form of official visit to Cal. However, that didn’t stop her and her family from driving up to the school to check it out for themselves.

“The two universities that I took unofficials to were San Diego State and UC Irvine,” Curry explained. “I wasn’t able to officially or unofficially visit Cal or any other school. But, my mom, dad, and little sisters and I drove to Cal. We were able to walk through the campus and eat. I was able to get a feel for what life would be life on campus as well.”

As for what she wants to study at Cal, Curry definitely wants to position herself for a career in basketball. While she doesn’t yet know what exact major she’ll choose, she’s already got a focus in mind.

“For sure I want to study something in sports,” Curry said. “Sports management, sports broadcasting. Things like that. But definitely stay in basketball.”

Given her last name, a lot of people ask Curry if she’s related to Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors or if he’s her favorite player. Just for the record, there is no relation and while she does like his game, he’s also not her favorite player.

“NBA wise, everybody assumes Stephen Curry,” Curry said of who her favorite players are. “He is one of my favorites. Just his ball handling and all. But, Damian Lillard is my number one, my go-to. I like his aggressiveness and his side-step. That’s something I’ve taken from him. Darius Garland, I like his game as well. Arike Ogunbowale from Notre Dame and Chennedy Carter. Those are definitely my favorites from the WNBA.”

Looking ahead to the college basketball experience, Curry is most excited about the chance to play against the very best players in the country. The Pac-12 has emerged as the top conference in the nation and Curry knows that she’s going to be tested like she’s never been before.

“I think for me, just the competitive aspect,” Curry said of what she’s looking forward to. “I just think being in that conference [the Pac-12] because of the competition. They bring it night in, night out. Just learning the lessons of being a young adult and learning not just from the coaches, but people on campus.”

With a lot of uncertainty about her senior year at Centennial, Curry doesn’t know if she’s going to be able to have a season or not. If she does have a season, she definitely wants to win a state title. If she’s not able to have a season, then all of her focus is going to be on being ready for Cal come fall 2021:

“If we do have a season, I do want to win a CIF, win a state ring. If we don’t, just to get stronger and faster. Get ready for the fast pace, physicality for sure.”