Sarah Ashlee Barker was raised in a world filled with sports and surrounded by a deep passion for them. Her dad was a national champion, and her brothers loved to play rough, which made her competitive.
As a key guard for the Alabama Crimson Tide women’s basketball team, she is recognized for her scoring ability and court leadership.
Amy Rozell’s Support Shaped Her Basketball Journey
Her mother, Amy Rozell Barker, was married to Jay Barker, and after 13 years together and four kids — Andrew, Braxton, and twins Sarah Ashlee and Harrison — the couple divorced in 2007.
In 2009, Amy remarried and took the name Rozell. Sarah often praises her mom for her constant support, calling her a hero and a best friend.
Amy has been a big part of her daughter’s journey, even walking her down the aisle on Senior Night at Spain Park High School.
As Rubin E. Grant of Over The Mountain Journal noted, when Sarah received the 2020 Alabama Sports Writers Association Miss Basketball award, she said, “I want to thank my parents, my mom and my dad for supporting me and loving me. They were never hard on me, and even after a bad game, they never put any pressure on me. My mom is my hero because of everything she sacrificed for me.”
Bond Between Sarah and Jay Barker
Jay Barker was born July 20, 1972, in Birmingham, Ala. He’s a former professional football quarterback best known for leading the University of Alabama to a national championship in 1992.
After a brief pro career, including time with the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, and Toronto Argonauts, he transitioned into sports broadcasting and business.
He’s also been involved in philanthropy through the Barker Family Foundation. In 2008, he married country music singer Sara Evans, and they blended their families to raise seven children together.
Jay has openly shared his pride and support for Sarah. When she committed to playing basketball at the University of Georgia in 2018, he went to Twitter to congratulate her: “Congrats, SA! So proud of you and for you. You have worked so hard for this. Love you and ‘Go Dawgs.’”
He also supported her decision to transfer to Alabama, and in a 2024 interview, Sarah shared that her dad values her independence in her sports career.
As noted by Edwin Stanton of SI.com, she said, “My dad has always just tried to tell me good luck in games, and he’s praying for me, and he loves me. We never talk about sports unless I bring it up. He understands that this is my journey.”
Barker Credits Brothers for Competitive Mindset
Barker’s twin brother, Harrison, was a quarterback at Spain Park High School and went on to play at UAB. As a kid, she often joined in on sports with Harrison and her older brothers, Braxton and Andrew.
Braxton followed in his father’s footsteps by walking on as a quarterback at Alabama and later becoming a graduate assistant on the Crimson Tide coaching staff.
She’s spoken about how growing up with her brothers helped shape her competitive mindset.
“That’s kind of where my toughness comes from is because they’d dunk on me, they blocked my shots, like nothing came easy. They didn’t care that I was a girl. They were like, ‘You’re one of us pretty much. If you’re going to come out here and play with us, we’re going to play you fair and square,’” Barker said via Andrew Simonson of Shelby County Reporter.