Alabama Women’s Basketball Lands Top Transfer Portal Target

Former Georgia Bulldog, Sarah Ashlee Barker announced Monday afternoon that she would be transferring to the Tide ahead of the 2022 season. Sarah Ashlee, the daughter of former Alabama quarterback Jay Barker, returns to her home state where she won two state titles and was 2020 Gatorade player of the year.

Barker entered the transfer portal on March 23, shortly after her coach Joni Taylor, left Georgia and accepted the Texas A&M job. The change in leadership left Barker unsure of the program's direction and felt it was time to move on from her time in Athens.

The 6'1" sophomore guard played all 31 games this year, averaging 7.4 points, 4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. Barker brings leadership as well as an elite style of defense to an Alabama team who will be losing some of its key players.

Barker attracted schools such as LSU, Texas A&M, and Missouri but perhaps the biggest call she got was from UConn head coach, Geno Auriemma. Geno, who is in his 36th season at Connecticut, has 11 national championships and over 1100 wins all-time with the Huskies. The Hall of Fame coach pitched to her on a FaceTime call last week, but it was Barker who ultimately declined and made it clear she wanted to "Come Home."

Head coach Kristy Curry and the Alabama Women's Basketball team had its season end this past Sunday after they fell to South Dakota State 78-73 in the Quarterfinals round of the WNIT. The Tide finished the season 20-14 on the year and 6-10 in SEC play.

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Sarah Ashlee won't be the only Barker on campus as her older brother Braxton joined the football staff as a Graduate Assistant last month. Alabama will hope to continue to reload this offseason with its addition of Sarah Ashlee, as they look to get back to the NCAA Tournament.