Creating her story

Sarah Ashlee Barker is ready to blaze her own trail.

Barker, a junior at Spain Park High School, announced her commitment to play basketball at the University of Georgia on Monday morning.

Her visit to campus last weekend and attending the Georgia football game left no doubt about where she wants to spend her post-high school years.

“People say there’s something special in Athens and it’s so true,” Barker told the Hoover Sun. “It was like I was already part of the family. The atmosphere is crazy. I literally had chill bumps standing on the sidelines.”

Barker’s last name is already well-known throughout the state of Alabama and the Southeastern Conference footprint. Her father, Jay, led the University of Alabama to the 1992 national championship. Her brother, Braxton, is a quarterback at Alabama now.

“At Alabama, there’s already a story, and I kind of want to make my own story and name for myself and I feel like it’s a perfect opportunity,” she said.

There is no resentment in that statement, as Alabama has long been an important part of her life. Alabama made her final three schools, along with Auburn. Barker also said she appreciated how supportive her father was throughout the recruiting process.

“He said, ‘That’s your decision and I want you do what’s best for you. It doesn’t matter what other people think. I’m going to support you no matter what,’” Barker recalled. “That really helped me a lot throughout it. 

Barker will be joining a Georgia program on the rise, as the Lady Bulldogs advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in the 2017-18 season under head coach Joni Taylor, who made quite an impression on Barker.

“She wanted to get to know me,” Barker said. “She offers people not just on talent but also who you are as a person. That kind of stuck with me.”

Barker admitted the recruiting process was “stressful,” but she expressed gratitude for being pursued by so many schools. She has received at least nine scholarship offers.

“I thank God for putting me through it because not many kids get to go D-1 and talk to coaches and get offered by multiple schools,” Barker said. “I’m truly blessed. None of this would be possible without God.”

Barker’s story is one that doesn’t surprise anyone who has seen her play for Spain Park the last two years, as the Lady Jags advanced to the state championship game her freshman season and followed it up by winning the title last season, with Barker as a crucial part of those teams.

But just a few years ago, Barker would have had a hard time believing that she’d be announcing her commitment to play at an SEC school. She missed her entire eighth-grade basketball season following a pair of knee surgeries and didn’t feel completely comfortable on the court again until midway through her ninth-grade year.

“I never thought I would be at this point,” she said. “I didn’t know if I was ever going to play basketball at a high level.”

She’s got two more years to cement her legacy at Spain Park and add to an already successful career. As a sophomore in 2017-18, she nearly averaged a double-double, posting 13.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per contest. She made the Alabama Sports Writers Association all-state first team, joining senior teammate Claire Holt for the state champion Lady Jags.

With Holt now gone, Barker is the obvious candidate to fill some of that production. But what makes the Lady Jags an elite team is that Barker sees no need to try to do everything herself. Senior point guard Ahrielle Parks and Bailey Bowers return a great deal of experience in the backcourt.

“We’re going to play as a team, I’m not going to play one-man ball,” Barker said. “It all comes down to if you can trust your teammates, and I definitely can.”

Barker knows the Lady Jags have a proverbial target on their back, one that comes with being the reigning state champions. And with the recruiting process now complete, she can streamline her focus on defending that crown.

“It’s going to take a ton of pressure off me, just because I get to worry about my high school team now,” she said. I don’t have to worry about where I’m going. I get to just enjoy the next two years of playing basketball.”

Barker credits her brothers for helping her become a better basketball player, primarily by blocking her shots when they were younger. She praised her mother for constantly "being there for me."

"She has been there, always supporting me and helping me through the hard times. She's someone I admire so much," Barker said.

She also gave credit to Spain Park head coach Mike Chase.

“I could go to him for anything,” she said. “He’s definitely someone who has helped me through this journey.”

She has followed a piece of advice from him as well.

Chase told her, “SA, it’s your story to tell.”