University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Signs Pair of Highly-Touted Prospects
November 13, 2019 | Women's Basketball
ATHENS, Ga. — Sarah Ashlee Barker — a guard from Birmingham, Ala. — and Zoesha Smith — a forward from Brunswick, Ga. — have signed national letters of intent with the Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball program, head coach Joni Taylor announced on Wednesday.
Each are highly-rated recruits who will join the Lady Bulldogs as freshmen, beginning with the 2020-21 season.
According to espnW, Barker is a four-star recruit and ranked in the top-25 nationally among guard prospects. The same recruiting service tabbed Smith as the No. 23 overall forward in the nation.
Barker, the daughter of former Alabama quarterback Jay Barker, preps at Spain Park High School in Hoover, Ala. She led the team to the 2018 Class 7A state title, averaging 14 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. She was an Alabama Sports Writers' Association First-Team All-State selection and was also a member of the Al.com Super All-State Team. The 5-foot-10 guard is a consensus four-star prospect and is the highest-ranked recruit in the state of Alabama.
"It has been such a pleasure to build a relationship with Sarah Ashlee and her family throughout this recruiting process," Taylor said. "She is a very impressive young lady who fits the mold of what it means to be a Georgia Lady Bulldog. Sarah Ashlee makes everyone around her better both on and off the floor, and she is a tremendous competitor who will outwork anyone. We are fortunate to get a player like Sarah Ashlee, and I am so excited she will be joining us in Athens."
Smith is the 10th player from the state of Georgia to sign with the Lady Bulldogs since Taylor became head coach in 2015. As a junior, the Glynn Academy standout led her team in points (19.9), rebounds (12.0), steals (2.3) and blocks (1.3), while leading her squad to its first region championship since 1994. She helped Glynn to a 26-5 record and a quarterfinal finish in the Class 6A playoffs.
The Peach State native scored 30 or more points four times and also brought down 20 or more rebounds on four occasions. Smith placed on the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association All-State team, the USA Today All-USA Georgia girls second team and earned MVP honors at the GACA junior all-star game.
"When you look at Zoesha, the first thing that stands out is her athleticism," Taylor noted. "She is an explosive and versatile player who can really do it all. She's a scorer, she's a rebounder, she makes plays and she defends really well. When we look at potential prospects, we want people who fit our program and our culture. Zoesha is an excellent player and is someone who will fit into what we want to do here at Georgia."
Barker and Smith are the first two signees of Georgia's 2020 class. The initial signing period runs from Nov. 13-20, 2019.
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