Some chapters are harder to close than others. In the NIL era, players transferring from one college to another has become almost routine, and it’s usually the fans who end up heartbroken. But every now and then, the players feel the sting of it, too. That’s exactly the sense people got when Janiah Barker faced off against Cori Close and the UCLA Bruins — the team she was part of just last season.

Barker, who now plays for the Tennessee Lady Volunteers, ended up on the losing side — which has been the story for most teams facing UCLA this season. The Bruins rolled to a 99–77 win, but the final score wasn’t what everyone was talking about. Instead, it was the moment shared between Cori Close and her former player after the game that took the internet by storm.

When both teams lined up postgame to shake hands and share hugs, a brief but telling moment unfolded. As Cori Close reached out to shake Janiah Barker’s hand — and leaned in for a hug — Barker pulled back almost instantly. She did shake Close’s hand, but she never looked at her and completely turned away from the coach’s attempt to embrace her.

No one really knows why the Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year made that choice in the first place. Was it frustration from the loss? Or something deeper? Whatever the reason, fans weren’t thrilled with the way she acted toward a coach who helped guide the Bruins to their first-ever Final Four. Here are some of the reactions.

Fans react to Janiah Barker’s moment with Cori Close

Fans couldn’t believe what they were seeing. It’s rare to see Cori Close have any sort of issue with a former player. “Cori thought they were Close 😂,” one fan joked. Another added, “I’m guessing they weren’t close…” The sarcasm was everywhere, but the message was the same: Why did this even happen?

The pair enjoyed plenty of success in their solitary season together. UCLA went 34-3 and reached the program’s first-ever NCAA Final Four, eventually falling to champion UConn. But even that historic run didn’t stop Barker from joining the entire Bruins freshman class,  along with junior Londynn Jones, in entering the transfer portal.

“Horrible act by the player. The coach has done nothing but speak highly of her since she left,” one fan wrote, and they aren’t wrong. Cori Close has only ever spoken with respect about Barker. She even shared in the post-game press conference that she wrote Barker a card and gave her her Final Four ring. “I just said, one of the things I’m always going to appreciate about you is how hard you always worked on your game,” Close said, as per reporter Benjamin Royer on X. “She’s a great player, explosive.”

This incident is only going to hurt Barker’s reputation, which has already been slipping in the eyes of many. “Oh Janiah. In front of all those scouts who already have questions? Not smart,” one fan wrote. Barker came into college basketball with quite a lot of expectations.

The No. 3 recruit in the class of 2022, she spent her first two seasons at Texas A&M, where she became the Aggies’ second-leading rebounder as a sophomore with 7.6 boards per game. As a freshman, she was the only first-year player in the SEC to lead her team in scoring, averaging 12.7 points per game, and followed it up with 12.2 as a sophomore.

But at UCLA, she started only three of the 36 games she played under coach Cori Close and averaged a modest 7.6 points and 5.9 rebounds off the bench. Naturally, questions began to surface about her ceiling and whether she could still become the star many expected her to be. Leaving the Bruins made sense if she wanted a fresh start and a real chance to prove she could take that next leap. But now, after this incident, scouts will also be noting concerns about her attitude and character.

One fan did step in to defend Barker, writing, “As a former college athlete… you never know the history lol. This could be justified.” And sure, there could be more to the story. Maybe Barker was frustrated with the limited minutes she got at UCLA and wanted to show Cori Close exactly what she was capable of in a bigger role.

She certainly made her point on the court. Barker led the Lady Vols with a career-high 25 points against the Bruins and has been one of Tennessee’s best players this season, averaging 15.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.2 assists in just 22 minutes per game.

Was this her way of showing how big of a miss she’ll be for Cori Close this season? We don’t know for sure. What do you think? Let us know in the comments down below!