Chang Leaves UC Irvine Women’s Basketball Team

Chrissy Chang, starting point guard for the UC Irvine women’s basketball team the past two seasons, is leaving the program, Coach Colleen Matsuhara said Tuesday.

Chang averaged 4.3 points and 2.3 rebounds and led the team with 103 assists as a sophomore last season. She started 24 of 25 games she played in, and missed two games with a sprained ankle.

Irvine finished with a record of 5-22 in Matsuhara’s first season as coach.

Chang probably will seek to transfer to a school closer to her home in the Bay Area, perhaps San Jose State, Matsuhara said.

Matsuhara has signed six new players to scholarships for next season, and four of those are perimeter players.

“I think the new players are all capable of stepping into the void,” she said. “It will also put a little more responsibility on (returning guards) Karie Yoshioka, Michelle Kahler and Cher Scanlon to work on their ballhandling.”

Matsuhara also said the scholarships of two post players, Kim Cox and Kari Rasmussen, will not be renewed.