Cal freshman guard Charlie Moore is transferring from the university to seek an opportunity closer to his home in Chicago, the school announced on Thursday.
The decision for Moore delivers a massive blow to new Bears coach Wyking Jones and his hopes for a seamless transition from the Cuonzo Martin era. Moore finished the 2016-17 season third on the team in scoring, averaging 12.2 points while also delivering a team-high 3.5 assists per game. He started in 34 games.
"After many discussions with my family, I've made the decision to transfer to be closer to home," Moore said. "This was an extremely difficult decision for me, but the opportunity to be closer to my family is one that I feel is necessary for me at this time. I am grateful for my first year at California and for teammates who became my brothers. I look forward to supporting Coach Jones and the Bears in the future, and I also want to thank the fans for all their support this past season."
In addition to Moore's transfer, Cal also lost Ivan Rabb to the NBA Draft, along with the team's leading scorer Jabari Bird who will graduate. Cal finished the season with a 21-13 record and missed the NCAA Tournament.
Moore originally committed to Memphis in his recruiting process but landed with Cal after Josh Pastner was pushed out and took the coaching job at Georgia Tech.
Cal returns just one starter from last season. On the bright side, however, Kentucky transfer Marcus Lee, a former five-star recruit, will be eligible after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules.
