A few months ago, there were some basketball fans who had never heard the name Sarah Ashlee Barker. If they had, it was in passing, quick mentions of the star on Alabama, who had gradually increased her productivity and scoring over the course of her five-year college career. In her three years at Alabama, the team went 20-11, 24-10, and 24-8, but never made it beyond the second round of the NCAA tournament. In an SEC crowded with talent, she never gained the media traction many of the stars around her saw. But the Sparks were paying attention.
On draft night, Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley told reporters that while Barker’s breakout performance in the NCAA Tournament against Maryland — where she had 45 points, including three free throws with zero seconds left to force double overtime — wasn’t the reason for her selection, and that instead, it was her “overall body of work.”
The Sparks selected Barker seventh overall, with the understanding she would fit a strong need for them: a “3-and-D” player who promises energy and explosiveness off the bench, along with a coachable mentality and room for growth. But with injuries to key Sparks guards through the first few games of the 2025 season, Barker’s role is growing exponentially — with mixed results to date.
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Ahead of the game against Minnesota, Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts told reporters, “[Barker] came in prepared. She was ready as a rookie. And there’s still a learning curve, but her mentality — she’s tough, physically and mentally.”
After playing 14 minutes in the season opener against the Golden State Valkyries, Barker’s minutes jumped to 24 in the home opener, and then 28 against the Phoenix Mercury alongside her first WNBA start.
“Maybe her minutes are going to be a little bit expedited, in terms of our need for her now more, but I have so much confidence in her,” Roberts added. “She’s always in the right place, and she understands what we’re trying to do on both sides, so she’s not making those mistakes, of mentally not being prepared.”
In the Sparks’ home opener against the Lynx, Barker hit the first three of her WNBA career, alongside three rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block, but turned the ball over twice and had five fouls.
“It’s just going to be a matter of her getting experience and minutes … understandably, she was probably a little bit nervous the first game – but she can shoot,” said Roberts ahead of the game. “And the cool part is that our veterans have a ton of confidence in her, and we’re going to need her.”
While her stat line wasn’t the cleanest, Barker played tough defense, showed valuable energy off the bench, and filled in when Rickea Jackson left the game with a concussion early in the second half. She notably challenged every rebound against a Minnesota team boasting the likes of Napheesa Collier, Alanna Smith and Jess Shepard on the glass.
A few days later against the Mercury, Barker showed again why she’s the right fit for the system Coach Roberts wants to run — a fast paced, 3-point-focused energy with explosive aggression on the defensive end. Her stats were, again, likely not where she wanted them to be – shooting 1-for-7 from the floor alongside two turnovers (though she countered them with four assists this time). But she had some valuable, timely plays, including a layup with 6:28 in the third quarter to stop a 11-0 Mercury run.
“[Barker] has a competitive spirit that I absolutely love coaching… She plays her tail off and she’s one of our best catch-and-shoot 3-point shooters, so I anticipate her to continue,” Roberts told reporters after the game. “I’ve been really impressed with her mental and physical toughness.”
Barker’s veteran teammate Azura Stevens echoed the sentiment: “[Barker] had a difficult assignment guarding Satou [Sabally], but I think she came out and just gave it her all, and she’s been showing us that from day one. [She’s] just really tough, knows when to make the right plays, locked in on what we’re trying to do offensively, but defensively, she’s been really tough and solid, so it was impressive to see that.”
While “SA” (as her team affectionately calls Barker) still has a lot of room to adjust to the pace and physicality of the WNBA, she’s made it clear that her energy and effort will never be in question.
Barker told The Next’s Jesse Morrison ahead of Wednesday’s Mercury game, “We want to play fast and play spaced, and when I was at Alabama, that’s how we played, and so we have some plays here that I ran at Alabama. So for me it’s new, but at the same time I’ve seen it before. I know how [Coach Roberts] wants to run the offense and just being able to shoot a lot of threes and move the ball and really push the ball too.”
The rookie acknowledged that the speed of the game was proving to be challenging — especially when it came to getting her shots off quickly in the midst of fast, athletic defenders — but also noted that she was feeling “good” and “confident.”
She told The Next, “my teammates have confidence in me and so do my coaches … it’s a game of basketball and I’m just lucky I’m in this opportunity.”
