Kiki Jefferson

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- New Louisville guard Jayda Curry was weighing out her transfer options when departing the University of California, Berkeley. And she didn't have to look far for how one place treated a former Golden Bear.

Kianna Smith left Cal for Louisville and was a highly productive guard for the Cardinals, becoming a major key for the 2022 Final Four team. Back then, Curry took notice.

"I've kind of paid attention to Louisville a lot because of her," Jayda Curry said. "I mean, you see them everywhere. You're watching the tournament and you see them every year: They're competing and they're getting far in the tournament. So, that was definitely something that I kept my eye on during my transfer process."

A visit to Louisville, the only one she took during that process, confirmed the promising feeling for Curry.

"I just trusted Jeff (Walz) and what he was telling me, what the coaches were telling me about their program, and just seeing people like Kianna (Smith) go through it and come out on the other side very successful was something that helped me make that decision," Curry said.

Jayda Curry

Her story is similar to past and present Louisville transfers. As the Cardinals start their journey with the Globl Jam event in Canada, they will see how six new ones look against international competition.

Curry (California), Kiki Jefferson (James Madison), Eylia Love (Georgia Tech), Nina Rickards (Florida), Sydney Taylor (Massachusetts) and Hennie van Schaik (California State University, Bakersfield) all bring a mix of collegiate experience and production to an UofL program that has now made it to five straight Elite Eights. 

"The transfers coming in, we're hungry," Jefferson, who led James Madison to an NCAA Tournament appearance, said. "It was amazing getting there, but I want to get there again."

Just like Curry, Jefferson said she had plenty of calls gauging her interest when deciding where to transfer. But the 2023 Sun Belt Player of the Year believed in the mission Walz was selling to her and came back to another part of Louisville's tradition: producing pros.

Emily Engstler, another member of that 2022 Final Four team, transferred from Syracuse to Louisville to become a first-round pick for the Indiana Fever and is now with the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA. Liz Dixon came from Georgia Tech, developed well over four years at UofL and is currently a member of the Connecticut Sun. The Los Angeles Sparks drafted Smith before she went to play in Korea.

Chelsie Hall (Serbia), formerly of Vanderbilt before making the 2022 Final Four with the Cards, went overseas as well. Morgan Jones (Greece) and Chrislyn Carr (New Zealand) did too, moving on from Florida State and Syracuse to become international pros after their time ended at Louisville. 

Those all add to other Cardinals who didn't transfer to Louisville, but are currently in the WNBA after successful Cardinal careers: AD Durr (Atlanta Dream), Myisha Hines-Allen (Washington Mystics) and Dana Evans (Chicago Sky).

"It's one thing to get drafted and then get cut," Jefferson said. "But if you look at Louisville, they're getting drafted and they're staying. And then, they're staying for multiple years. So, I think that's very important and that's something I want to do."

As far as production goes, Louisville fans want to see Curry and Jefferson carry theirs to the Cardinals. 

Jefferson was a decorated Duke at JMU, ranking in the top 10 for her career in seven statistical categories and leading the Sun Belt Conference in scoring last season by averaging 18.3 points per game. Her nine double-doubles and 16 performances featuring at least 20 points made her one of 10 semifinalists for the 2023 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award.

"I'm pretty funny, but when we're on the court, it is business," Jefferson said when describing her game. "I am one you're going to hear screaming while I'm on the bench or on the court. We're going to have a good time and I just feed off energy. I'm excited because they said the fans are diehard here, so I'm excited just to feed off of them."

"We knew we had to find a big guard that could score the basketball," Walz said of Jefferson. "You know when you get down into the NCAA Tournament and deep into the ACC, you've got to be able to score the basketball and we're really excited about what she can do."

Kiki Jefferson

Curry, who partly came to Louisville to be more of a point guard as opposed to a shooting guard, is a former Pac-12 Freshman of the Year who led the Golden Bears in scoring as a sophomore with 15.5 points per game while tying for the Cal team lead with 59 three-pointers. She also averaged 3.5 assists per game that season, ranking second on the squad with 106 for the year.

"I play very smooth," Curry said. "I am fast, but my game is kind of slower in really reading the floor while also going fast. So you'll see a lot of shooting for sure, three-point shooting is one of my specialties. I can get to the basket, shoot mid-range, all of that. So, I score a lot. I'm able to get my teammates involved passing the ball."

"She is someone that is the kind of the player that we've had in the past: a point guard that can score," Walz said of Curry. "She is tough. She has been working extremely hard in practice."

The early returns from practices have Jeff Walz praising the chemistry and maturity of a more experienced group that should have an array of scoring options. Curry and Jefferson see that paying off.

"I think that us all being very experienced and having played at a higher level, that'll help us gel even easier," Curry said. "Experience is probably the biggest thing for us because we have so many experienced players. The chemistry building won't be as hard for us."

The first test starts in Toronto against teams representing Puerto Rico, Canada and Africa.

"Just being able to play somebody else," Jefferson said when asked what she was looking forward to about the trip. "It's just getting out and getting the feel for it. Because like I said, I have one year. Syd (Taylor) has one year. Nina (Rickards) has one year.

"We're getting an advantage, I think, just to be able to mess with each other and get out there to play, then have fun."

"Everybody has that common goal," Curry said. "We all are working for the same goal. We're all working hard. So that's something that really jumps out for me about this team."

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