For the past two seasons, Jayda Curry has been the north star for the Cal women’s basketball program, the engine that drove the team forward. On Wednesday, however, Cal Athletics confirmed to The Daily Californian that Curry has entered the transfer portal, just two weeks after another first round exit in the Pac-12 tournament for Cal. 

The sophomore combo-guard from Corona, California, who has led her team in points since 2021 and whose image is plastered around the UC Berkeley campus, has decided to part ways with Cal.

Curry’s transfer caps off a disappointing season for Cal women’s basketball in which the Bears failed to finish the season above a .500 record. With seniors Evelien Lutje Schipholt and Peanut Tuitele graduating, the Bears are losing three of their starting five entering the 2023-2024 season.

In her two seasons at Cal, Curry averaged 16.9 points and 3.2 assists, shooting 33.5% from the three point line. Curry earned multiple honors with the Bears, including Pac-12 freshman of the year and the media’s Pac-12 all-conference team in 2022, even breaking the Pac-12 record for most consecutive games with a three-pointer — a streak that is still ongoing. 

With Curry set to leave Berkeley, the Cal women’s basketball program enters a new low point in its recent history under head coach Charmin Smith’s tenure: Four straight seasons of losing records since Smith was hired in 2019. Curry’s signature number 30 jersey will be a noticeable absence in Haas Pavilion next year. It’s been four years since the Bears have been in the NCAA tournament and with Curry’s departure, the program lacks a north star to guide it there once again.