Jayda Curry adds scoring to Louisville women's basketball program after offseason turnover
To those who only know her in a basketball setting, Jayda Curry is a sharpshooter.
The guard, who will arrive on the University of Louisville campus in the next couple of weeks, has built her reputation on being a scoring threat. During the 2023-24 season, she’ll be counted on to help a U of L team that made the Elite Eight before losing six players to graduation and five more to the transfer portal, including star guard Hailey Van Lith to LSU.
The former California guard, who ESPN ranked as the 10th-best player in the transfer portal this offseason, will also have an opportunity to grow her brand with the Cardinals.
“She's not the loudest person in the room," said Curry’s agent, Charles Xavier. "She's not going to be all over social media and doing a bunch of stuff, but once you're in a room with her and you engage with her and vibe with her, you're going to fall in love with her.”
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Xavier said Curry currently has six or seven name, image and likeness partnerships. The chance to add to those is part of the reason she committed to the Cardinals. On May 17 — about six weeks after Curry announced her decision to play for Jeff Walz's Cards — U of L announced an expansion of its NIL program, Elevate. The program will create a database that connects athletes with approved businesses, collectives, donors, alumni and other entities looking to provide NIL opportunities.
Curry's on-court reputation took off at Corona Centennial (Calif.) High School, where she set the program's single-game scoring record after hanging 50 on Bonita Vista as a senior. In her final high school game, she totaled 27 points and 11 rebounds to lead Centennial to a state championship. In her two seasons at Cal, she led the Golden Bears in scoring and became the first freshman to lead the Pac-12 in scoring with 18.6 points per game.
From feeling overlooked at times, like when she was not among the espnW HoopGurlz top 100 players coming out of high school in 2021, to being named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2021-22 to developing into a top transfer portal prospect, U of L will present Curry with a new opportunity to grow her game on the court, and her brand off of it.
“She understands where she comes from," Curry's cousin, Gerald Williams said, "and how hard she had to work to get where she's at.”
Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter at @Alexis_Cubit.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville women's basketball roster: Jayda Curry from transfer portal
