Jerro’s Departure Puzzles Northridge

At the untested age of 27, Frozena Jerro rescued a Cal State Northridge women’s basketball program that had been thrown into disarray. She calmed players’ nerves after their previous coach was arrested for drug charges, and she guided the Matadors to their first appearance in the NCAA tournament a few months later.

But at age 30, Jerro abruptly resigned, unable to keep the team competitive and informing stunned players of her plans Saturday after a practice she did not attend.

Jerro, in her fourth season as coach, turned in her school-issued cell phone and has remained out of contact with Northridge officials since informing Athletic Director Dick Dull of her decision Saturday.

“She is absolutely gone ... she is not here,” Northridge spokesman Ryan Finney said. “We have had no contact with her since Saturday and have absolutely no idea where she is. We don’t know why now and why at this particular time. She was apparently at a loss what to do [with the team] and she was frustrated.”

Jerro is the second women’s basketball coach at Northridge to leave abruptly Michael Abraham was charged with interstate drug trafficking and was led away from the Northridge gym by FBI agents on Oct. 27, 1998.

After taking over for Abraham, Jerro led the Matadors to a 21-8 record, a Big Sky Conference championship and a berth in the NCAA tournament.

But the Matadors steadily declined, bottoming out with a 9-18-1 record last season and beginning this season 0-5.

Jerro’s troubles began when she clashed with All-American guard Edniesha Curry, who ultimately quit the team in January 2000. Curry is now a senior at Oregon, averaging 11.8 points.

Northridge assistants Paula Nirschl-Montgomery and Ken Turner will share coaching duties for now. A new coach is expected to be hired during the season. “We’re just trying to bring about a sense of order,” Turner said.

The Matadors lost to USC, 96-54, in Jerro’s final game Dec. 4.

After three games in five days, including a victory against USC that had some people calling them the city champs in men’s basketball, the Pepperdine Waves hit a wall.

Pepperdine scored only three points in the final 10 minutes and was one for 16 from three-point range in a 68-51 loss at UC Santa Barbara.

The Waves had only four assists in the game.

The loss came two days after they defeated USC, 78-77, on a three-point bank shot by Craig Lewis in the final seconds. The Waves also beat UCLA, 85-78, on Nov. 28.

“Our kids are human,” Coach Paul Westphal said. “They were emotionally spent after that [USC] game.”

Pepperdine (4-3) plays at Oregon (4-2) on Friday.