Cora Hall, Knoxville News SentinelMon, December 1, 2025 at 2:26 AM UTC·1 min readJaniah Barker didn't have a warm greeting for her former coach after UCLA crushed Lady Vols basketball in Los Angeles on Nov. 30.
Barker scored 25 points in her return to Pauley Pavilion in the 99-77 loss to the No. 3 Bruins. In the handshake line after the game, Barker appeared to rip her hand away from UCLA coach Cori Close, who attempted to shake hands, and walked by without shaking Close's outstretched hand.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBarker appeared to shake her head as she blew past Close, who shrugged and smiled as she continued through the line.
No. 11 Tennessee dropped to 5-2 this season with the loss.
Barker played at UCLA for her junior season after spending two years at Texas A&M. The 6-foot-4 forward won Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year as the Bruins made a run to their first Final Four in program history. She averaged 7.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists for UCLA.
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."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBarker 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 22 minutes per game.
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: [email protected]; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Lady Vols' Janiah Barker appears to avoid handshake with UCLA coach
AdvertisementAdvertisement
