This article was first published in the Tampa Bay Times on April 3.
TAMPA — Despite the 2,000-mile flight UCLA took from Los Angeles to Tampa to arrive at Amalie Arena for the Women’s Final Four, Bruins forward Janiah Barker feels right at home this week.
Barker moved from Panama City to Tampa ahead of her freshman year of high school to have a better chance at being seen on the court. She landed at Tampa Bay Tech for the 2018-19 season and made an immediate impact for the Titans.
Barker, alongside TCU guard KN’isha Godfrey, led Tampa Bay Tech to a 29-3 record that season and the school’s first Class 8A state championship.
“I think it was a start, in a way, especially to be back here where I won that with the girls that I did at Tampa Bay Tech,” said Barker on Thursday when reflecting on the state championship victory. “And I’m chasing another one right now. So it’s been really cool.”
Barker stayed with the Titans through her junior year before transferring to Montverde Academy. At that basketball powerhouse, she was a key figure in the Eagles’ first national championship in 2022. Barker rounded out her prep career being named to the McDonald’s, WBCA and Jordan Brand All-American lists, and she was ranked No. 3 as a recruit by espnW HoopGurlz.
However, this homecoming for Barker isn’t just returning to the hardwood in Tampa Bay. She also can rekindle relationships with family, old friends and teammates.
“So many family and friends are coming from not only just Tampa, but just Florida in general and making the drive,” said Barker. “I wish I had more than six tickets to give, but it’s going to be super fun that they can be here and support me for this.”
Godfrey, who Barker said is her “best friend,” will attend UCLA’s semifinal game against UConn on Friday night. The Horned Frogs fell one win shy of being a potential championship opponent for UCLA after a 58-47 loss to Texas in the Elite Eight.
But the Texas win did give Barker a chance to reunite with Longhorns guard Jordana Codio — Barker’s “right-hand man” at Montverde. The pair were the top scorers for the 2021-22 Eagles as well as teammates on the AAU circuit with Essence Girls Basketball.
“She is a great person, a great leader, and I feel like playing alongside of her was definitely an amazing experience for me,” Codio said.
In her first season at UCLA after two years at Texas A&M, Barker is a key piece of the No. 1 overall seed’s bench, shooting 46% from the field and averaging 7.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.
AP honors for Watkins, Close
USC guard JuJu Watkins became just the fourth sophomore named The Associated Press’ Player of the Year in the award’s 30-year history. Cori Close, who heads up the cross-town and in-conference rival UCLA Bruins, was named Coach of the Year.
Watkins finished two first-place votes shy of a unanimous selection after averaging 23.9 points and 6.8 rebounds, helping lead the Trojans to their first conference title in 31 years in the program’s first season in the Big Ten.
“I feel so honored to be recognized in this fashion. I have so many people to thank for this — my teammates, my amazing coaches, my family, my friends,” Watkins said on a video call. “They made this all possible, and I feel so blessed to be able to do what I love.”
Watkins led USC to a No. 1 seed in the Spokane 4 Regional, but sustained a season-ending torn ACL in the Trojans’ win over Mississippi State in the Round of 32. USC was eliminated in the Elite Eight by UConn, which takes on Close’s Bruins Friday.
Close aided UCLA’s climb to its first ranking atop the AP Top 25 en route to a record-breaking 34 wins and the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Bruins also triumphed over Watkins and USC in the Big Ten Tournament championship, their first conference title since 2006.
“I’m also proud to be a part of the Big Ten. The Big Ten honored both myself and Juju in this award and in several other awards from across this landscape,” Close said. “The Big Ten has set the bar for excellence.”
Close joins the company of legendary UCLA men’s basketball coach and five-time AP Coach of the Year winner John Wooden, whom she was mentored by for 15 years.
“Being even mentioned in the same breath as him, the reality is that if I could just be as much of a giver as him,” Close said. “I know he accomplished a lot, but the biggest thing I want to pay forward is how much he gave to the people around him, and if I could do half of that for somebody else, I’d feel pretty good.”
USF’s Puisis on All-Star slate
Twenty players will make up the teams squaring off in Saturday’s All-Star Game at Hillsborough Community College.
The teams at the Dale Mabry Campus will be coached by Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers Nancy Lieberman and Cheryl Miller. USF graduate senior guard Sammie Puisis will be one of the members of Team Lieberman, following up a first-team, all-conference season and appearance in the 3-Point Championship at the Men’s Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, on Thursday.
All All-Star participants are ending their college careers on a high note, with 16 making their respective all-conference teams and 11 earning first-team awards. Four All-Americans make up the pack, including Puisis’ Team Lieberman teammate, Arkansas’ Izzy Higginbottom, and Florida State’s Makayla Timpson, who will play for Team Miller.
Other notable players include All-Americans Shyanne Sellers from Maryland and Harmoni Turner of Harvard. Nine additional players will participate in an inaugural scouting combine Friday morning, including Florida State’s O’Mariah Gordon.
The All-Star game is slated for a 3 p.m. tipoff Saturday. Tickets are $25.
Women: Final Four
Amalie Arena; Tampa
FRIDAY
• No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 1 Texas, 7, ESPN
• No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 2 UConn, 9:30, ESPN
SUNDAY
• National championship, 3, ABC
Note: An All-Star Game will be held at Hillsborough Community College, 3 Saturday; general-admission tickets $25. TV: ESPN2
Info: wfftampabay.com