Photo by Sarah Finnegan
Spain Park Girls Basketball VS McGill Toolen State Championship
Spain Park's Sarah Ashlee Barker is shown in the Class 7A state championship game against McGill-Toolen on March 5, 2018.
Spain Park High School graduate Sarah Ashlee Barker was selected first round with the ninth pick by the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA draft held Monday evening.
“Sarah Ashlee is an elite competitor,” said Sparks General Manager Raegan Pebley. “Her mental makeup, ability to stretch the floor beyond the arc, commitment to defense, willingness to rebound and passing instincts make her the total package. We’re thrilled to add her poise and leadership.”
Barker, the daughter of former University of Alabama quarterback, Jay Barker, won state titles in 2018 and 2020. In 2020, her senior year, she was named Miss Basketball in Alabama.
She began her college career at the University of Georgia before transferring back home to play for the University of Alabama after a coaching change at Georgia.
At the draft press conference on Monday night, a reporter referenced a video of Barker talking about her former teammate at Spain Park Claire Holt and Barker what her advice would be for her younger self playing at Spain Park.
"You never know what you can do," Barker said. "If you just give it your all and give it your best shot that you can do anything in life."
