Jerro, Dull Will Meet to Discuss Curry Defection

There’s never a dull moment with the Cal State Northridge women’s basketball team these days.

Even when Athletic Director Dick Dull gets involved.

Dull will meet with Coach Frozena Jerro today in an attempt to resolve the first major crisis of Jerro’s brief career: the defection of enigmatic All-American guard Edniesha Curry.

“Certainly we don’t look for anyone to leave, especially a player of [Curry’s] quality and character,” Dull said. “Hopefully she would reconsider. Jerro is an excellent coach and she has my confidence.

“It’s like a family. I haven’t been around one that doesn’t fight and squabble. You have to find common ground and join together and go on.”

Curry quit a week ago after a blowup at practice Jan. 23. Friction between Curry and Jerro, as well as assistants, had been escalating for weeks. One day after the Matadors’ first Big Sky Conference loss at Montana on Jan. 22, Curry was asked to leave practice.

The events are shocking because Jerro and Curry enjoyed a close and productive relationship last season, when Northridge rocketed to the conference championship and nearly upset Colorado in the NCAA tournament.

Curry set records for scoring and assists and was most valuable player of the conference tournament. And with Curry a vocal supporter, Jerro, 28, had the interim tag removed from her title and became one of the nation’s youngest head coaches.

Yet now they are at each other’s throat.

Even though Northridge (12-6, 6-2) is winning.

Even though Curry was playing well, averaging 15.4 points.

“It’s like constant butting heads between me and [Jerro],” Curry said. “She’s not trying to change me or my game. It’s the kind of thing where in my heart I felt like it was time for me to leave.”

And leave her teammates high and dry.

With Curry and guard Jamilah Jones sitting in the stands, Northridge lost to an inferior opponent, Weber State, 61-59, on Saturday. Jones, a senior co-captain who left the team for the same reasons as Curry, said she will return.

Curry believes her teammates resent her for quitting and that is one reason she is reluctant to return.

“I have enough respect for my teammates to realize I did leave and let them down,” she said. “They don’t expect me to come back. When people quit and come back, it messes up the chemistry and unity.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to come back unless maybe they asked me back. I wish them the best and am pulling for them.”

Jerro is in a difficult position. If she loses her best player, the season probably will go down the tubes and recruiting will suffer.

But she also can’t allow a player to call the shots. Curry is good, but this isn’t Magic Johnson vs. Paul Westhead.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m the same person as I was last year,” Jerro said. “Edniesha feels like this isn’t where she wants to be. I’m going to call her and talk and bring this to some closure one way or another.”