Cal Women's Basketball: The Non-Conference Retrospective

Lets take a look at a squad that should have more eyes on it

Mia Mastrov on the drive vs Florida A&M via Calbears.com

For all the attention that we give to football and men’s basketball for different reasons, it is imperative that we give credit to a team that has quietly gone about their business and is looking to jump up a tier in the Pac 12 conference. I present to you, the Cal women’s basketball team. The Lady Bears currently sit with a 9-2 record as the non conference portion of their slate came to a close vs Florida A&M and will look to shock the world when they travel to Maples Pavilion today to face #2 Stanford in the conference opener. But how did they get to this point and what can people expect?

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The Bears are led by 4th year Head Coach Charmin Smith, who has a well known reputation as a great recruiter and was a lead assistant under previous coaches Joanne Boyle and Lindsay Gottlieb. She’s had her work cut out for her with Gottlieb’s sudden departure back in 2019, but this season looks to be the start of an upward trend for a program that has had relatively solid success. A 24-48 head coaching record prior to this season normally would draw a lot of ire, but the Pac 12 is the deepest conference in the nation, regularly sending 6-7 teams to the NCAA tournament. So why should this year be any different for Cal?

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Jayda Curry is ascending as a leader

Jayda Curry was named Pac 12 freshman of the year for the 2021-2022 season, but that wasn’t her ceiling. There was room for growth as a defender, as a floor general, and as someone who could lead the team with poise. Well so far in the 2022-2023 season, she’s done that and then some throughout the non-conference portion of the season. After being held to single digits in 3 of the first 4 games, Curry has scored 14+ points in the next 7 games. Curry is currently shooting 41% from the field and 33% from 3 pt range, and while you’d like those numbers to be up about 2-3%, she’s improving as the commander of the offense. Curry throughout the non-conference slate supported a 2/1 assist to turnover ratio, which will have to be continued during conference play. Jayda Curry is making a name for herself, having put up 24 points on now #5 Notre Dame and a 19 point/7 assist performance against Arkansas Pine-Bluff. She will get the brunt of attention and a deep focus for opposing teams gameplans, leading to a lot of recurring tests as the leader of the Bears.

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Here come the roleplayers

Despite some transfers over the course of the prior two seasons, players are now carving out well defined roles for the Lady Bears. Kemery Martin has one of the smoothest jumpshots in the nation. Colorado transfer Peanut Tuitele was brought in to be the enforcer on a Cal squad that badly needed defense and she has delivered that edge. Leilani Mclntosh has ascended to new offensive heights that she hadn’t seen yet, shooting 50% from the floor and an incinerating 48% from 3 point range. Mia Mastrov has brought the energy off the bench (and also the victory Tiktoks). These are just some of several improvements that this Cal women’s basketball team has made through the non-conference slate, but the Pac 12 will be the real test. If these players in addition to others who are also finding their groove like Evelien Lutje Schipholt and Karisma Ortiz continue to ascend in their roles, it’s time to take note.

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Jayda Curry on the drive vs UC San Diego via Calbears.com

Taking care of business and learning how to win

As programs are built and young teams rise to new heights, two simple concepts become ever more important. Taking care of business and learning how to win. The Lady Bears beat everyone they were supposed to beat during their non-conference slate. They didn’t trip over themselves and lose buy games or gimmies. They lost a close contest to SMU at home (who is 8-3 with losses to Oklahoma, Baylor, and Texas A&M) but were going punch for punch aside from one Mustang run. And they showed up and showed out against #5 Notre Dame in Charmin Smith’s return to her hometown of St.Louis, despite falling late 90-79. The Bears beat who they were supposed to beat, they learned their weightclass, and look ready to deliver several shots to those who may be above their weightclass. 9-2 for this schedule is reasonable and its imperative that they build on this in a tough Pac 12 conference. The effort is there. If this team can elevate its solid foundation, I’m excited to see what’s next.

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What does it all mean?

Cal was picked to finish 11th in conference this season. Considering Smith’s head coaching record and recruiting classes to this point, ideally you’d like to see the Bears prove the doubters wrong. I personally believe that this Cal team can go above those expectations and finish 8th-9th in conference and considering the context of the Pac 12, that should roughly be around a .500 record. That’s part of learning how to win. The Lady Bears can officially solidify themselves in the midpack and learn to be a force with each passing season. They’ve done the work to this point, consolidating with a 9-2 non-conference record.

It’s time we go out to Haas Pavilion and support them. Their first conference home game will be against #18 Arizona on New Years Eve at 7:00PM. Be there.