A new normal: Barker draws on past, present to elevate game

Spain Park High School girls basketball coach Mike Chase has a phrase that he repeats often.

“Just be normal.”

Chase gives this same edict to all of his players, but it means something different for each of them. The instruction tells each team member to play to her strengths, do what she does well and avoid trying to do too much.

For most players, that looks like playing strong defense or knocking down shots when given the opportunity.

For Sarah Ashlee Barker, it means doing a little bit of everything. In essence, she is to do whatever it takes to lead the Lady Jags to victory on a given night.

The do-it-all-guard has embraced that role for her team during the 2019-20 season, as she attempts to finish her high school career with a bang. As a freshman, she drained a 3-pointer in the state championship to force overtime in a game Hoover eventually won. She helped Spain Park capture its first state title as a sophomore and was the leading scorer on a team that advanced to the regional final as a junior.

But she’s been preparing for this moment her whole playing career. Observing former teammates, listening to coaches and even walking alongside her siblings has molded her into the player she is today.

AN ADJUSTMENT PERIOD

It took Barker some time this season to settle into her role, one that required her to be the focal point of the Lady Jags on and off the court. After playing every position over the past three seasons, sometimes in the post and other times on the wing, Barker became the primary ball-handler for this year’s team. She last held that duty as a seventh-grader at Berry Middle School.

Moreover, the Lady Jags roster is relatively young this winter. With that youth, growing pains were to be expected, and Barker admits her frustration got the better of her a few times in the summer and fall.

“At the beginning of the season, there were some times where [Chase] had to pull me aside and tell me to calm down a little bit and said that you’ve got to be patient with these guys,” Barker said.

Even last season, when Barker was the primary scoring option, she could defer to steady senior leaders such as Ahrielle Parks and Bailey Bowers. This year, Barker and guard Kamryn Corey are the only 12th-graders.

Periodically, Barker has had to recall her time as an underclassman, when older players were tasked with guiding her.

“I’ve learned from [the beginning of this year], and I’m a different leader than I have been in the past,” she said.

A GREAT ONE TO LEARN FROM

Chase didn’t have to dig too far into his archives to pull out a prime example of what Spain Park needed from Barker this season. In fact, Barker was a firsthand witness.

When Spain Park won the Class 7A title in 2018, Claire Holt drew the lion’s share of attention from opposing teams. When she was in rhythm, she could pile up 3-point makes in bunches. When teams gave her no space on the perimeter, she could weave her way to the basket and score inside.

“I learned a lot watching Claire develop into that person, too,” Barker said. “She was the best player on our team. When we needed a point, she could get that point for us.”

Many times, Barker provided Holt an open teammate beyond the 3-point arc. Defenses would collapse on Holt as she drove into the lane, leaving shooters open on the perimeter. Teams are doing that to Barker now, and she’s had to apply those lessons from Holt.

“Everyone comes into the lane when I go to the lane,” Barker said. “I have to trust my shooters, that they’re going to make shots when I kick it out to them. And they have this year, and I’m thankful for that.”

The biggest lesson has been learning how to avoid offensive fouls while driving to the basket.

“She has stopped committing charges,” Chase said.

Barker also counts it crucial to be a threat at all levels on the offensive end. That’s how she keeps a defense honest.

“I’ve been keeping a mixture of shooting 3s, getting to the basket and shooting jump shots during the game,” Barker said. “To be able to play from all three aspects of the game, that means a defender has to guard every aspect.”

Chase is known for his high-intensity coaching style – something others shy away from – but Barker has learned to appreciate as her coach simply “wanting what’s best for us.”

“It means a lot when you have a coach who trusts you to be a leader and be the ball-handler,” Barker said.

OBSERVING HER BROTHERS

Barker has been an elite player at every level of competition in her athletic career, but the experiences of her twin brother Harrison have had a profound effect on her life.

Harrison bided his time at Spain Park, being forced to wait until his senior year to earn the permanent title of starting quarterback. He seized his opportunity in 2019, putting up nearly 3,000 passing yards over a 10-game season.

“He could’ve left, like some guys go somewhere else and start, but he decided to stay and wait his turn and know that God has a plan for him,” Sarah Ashlee said.

Their older brother Braxton is a quarterback at the University of Alabama, and Harrison is still hoping to parlay his strong senior season into an opportunity on the college level.

“I have a ton of respect for [Harrison], and I truly look up to him,” Sarah Ashlee said.

She will suit up at the University of Georgia next season and is looking forward to her time in Athens. But her focus for the next several weeks remains with the Lady Jags.

“Right now, I’m here, and I want to live in the moment,” she said. “I just want to be able to take this team as far as we can and try to win a state championship.”

In order to do that, she’ll need to have more performances like the one against Hewitt-Trussville on Jan. 21, when she dropped 37 points in a convincing area win. Her play impressed everyone in the gym, but she was simply doing what her coach asks of her every single day.

Just being normal.