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LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Sparks have been hit with a wave of absences and injuries this season and have yet to see a fully healthy lineup under new head coach Lynne Roberts. As a result, rookies such as Sarah Ashlee Barker have been called upon to play a bigger role for the Sparks than what was perhaps initially intended. But for Barker, she’s been grateful to have a veteran mentor such as Kelsey Plum to help ease her rookie season with the Sparks.
Kelsey Plum is currently sidelined due to a leg injury, and Roberts acknowledged that a potential timetable for Plum’s return is unknown. But even on the bench, Plum was a vocal leader during the Sparks’ Tuesday loss to the Seattle Storm, especially for Sarah Ashlee Barker.
Following the game, Barker spoke about how Plum has been a steadying force for her as she continues to get used to the WNBA.
“She’s been a leader to me pretty much ever since I got to LA. Just having her voice, she has so much experience so I’m gonna listen to anything that she says,” Barker said. “And she’s always telling me just to have fun too with the game of basketball. When we were on the bench, she was just like, ‘hey, they’re going under you, just shoot the ball.’”
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“I think in the fourth quarter, she smiled at me when I made a three because she literally just told me kind of how to read it,” Barker continued. “But being able to have that presence and being able to teach me in any way, it does mean a lot.”
Against the Storm, Barker got the start and finished with a career-high 12 points, seven rebounds and one assist in 34 minutes. She shot 4-of-5 from the three-point line. Her four made three-point shots were also a career-best to this point.
The No. 9 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Barker has been an important part of the Sparks’ rotation amid the absences they’ve had, in the backcourt in particular. She’s started seven of the 12 games she’s played in to this point, and looks like she can be an integral part of the team for the present and the future.
“I think that’s something that’s gonna be a learning curve for me, just don’t get down on the shots I feel like I need to make because it’s gonna come back around. Coach has always been in my ear like, ‘hey, you missed that one, all right well you’re gonna make the next one,’” Barker said. “Just continue to engrave that in my head, and also just knowing that I have confidence from every single coach, every single player, every single vet, that kind of helps my spirit a little bit.”
