California guard Charlie Moore to transfer to be closer to ailing father

California freshman guard Charlie Moore is transferring closer to his home in Chicago to be near his ailing father.

This is a significant blow to new coach Wyking Jones. Moore averaged 12.2 points and 3.5 assists this past season. Cal also lost Ivan Rabb to the NBA draft, and leading scorer Jabari Bird graduated. Jones will return one starter -- defense-minded big man Kingsley Okoroh.

"After many discussions with my family, I've made the decision to transfer to be closer to home," Moore said in a statement. "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."

Cal finished 21-13 last season and promoted Jones after Cuonzo Martin left to take the head coaching job at Missouri.