The handshaking ritual after the UCLA-Tennessee game turned sour. Janiah Barker, who transferred to Tennessee after a season at UCLA, had a brush with her former coach. The two exchanged a quick handshake (yes, they did shake hands) and as Close leaned for a hug, Barker quickly pulled away. That caused quite the stir on social media, after which Barker herself clarified her stance regarding the situation. 

“Janiah Barker appeared to avoid shaking hands with her former coach Cori Close after Tennessee’s loss,” wrote Fox College hoops on X. The moment was widely circulated in a similar narrative. Barker has come out to refute this viral clip: “We shook hands. Wish nothing but the best for Coach Corri.” Barker wrote on her Instagram stories. 

To be clear, even in the viral video, Barker is seen shaking Close’s hand, but not for long. The interaction did not paint Barker in the best light. Her body language was negative, as she nodded as Close tried to hug her and did not even look at her former coach. Close’s expression indicated a subtle acceptance.

Close said in her postgame news conference that she wrote a card to Barker to go along with the Final Four ring UCLA gave her. “I just said, one of the things I’m always going to appreciate about you is how hard you always worked on her game,” Close said. “She’s a great player, explosive.” 

The narratives on social media are often an exaggeration of reality. We don’t know what the exact dynamic between Close and Barker is. However, Barker’s career history suggests some friction. Barker started at Texas, where she was the No. 1 option for her team. She could put her physical and versatile playing style on full display, but the Aggies struggled to contend in the SEC. 

Barker ended her sophomore season unsatisfied. In addition to feeling like she could have been “used way more” within A&M’s system, being a top option meant less and less to Barker if the teams she was having individual success on weren’t contenders. She compromised her role, but she moved to UCLA, a contender. With the core around Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice already formed, Barker started only 3 games despite impressing in her limited time on the court. It felt she was underutilised by Close, which might be the cause for some shade from Barker. However, after the game, Barker agreed to receive overwhelming support from the fans. 

Janiah Barker Appreciates UCLA Fans As She Adjusts To New Role At Tennessee

Even for one year, Janiah Barker’s most successful run came with UCLA. Making her impact from the bench, averaging 7.4 points and 6 rebounds, she went to the Final Four with the Bruins. While they lost to eventual champions UConn, it was a season to remember for Barker. And a return to that stadium was certainly significant. 

“It’s been a definitely emotional game. It was super fun coming back here. I know it’s a lot of fans show me so much love. So I’m just thankful for the love. That’s what I would the main thing I would say.” Barker said after the game. 

With her partner in crime, Talaysia Cooper struggling, Barker tried to make it as difficult as she could for the Bruins. She dropped 25 points on her former team, but they stumbled to a 99-77 loss. She has averaged 16.5 points and 6 rebounds for the Vols so far, and she appreciated her new coach for the added responsibility. 

“Coach Kim, she’s just really letting me be myself and just letting me be as versatile as I can. She’s letting me do everything that I wanted to do in college, and I’m so thankful for that. She also has me in a role of being a leader.” Barker said. Maybe she wanted to do the same in UCLA, but Close preferred Rice and Betts. In any case, Barker will try to replicate her UCLA success with Tennessee. They will get another chance to prove their progress, facing No.23 Louisville before SEC play begins.