Janiah Barker is the X-Factor for UCLA

The Bruins came in ranked in the top five in the preseason Associated Press poll, and gradually worked their way to the No. 1 spot. And at Big Ten media day back in October, UCLA head coach Cori Close referred to the addition of Barker as a missing piece for the team.

Fast-forward to the present, and following UCLA’s first round NCAA Tournament win against Southern, Close acknowledged that Barker’s adjustment to the Bruins’ system hasn’t always been easy.

“That hasn’t been easy, sometimes her minutes were up and down, she didn’t start, really credit to her. She said, ‘I don’t care about starting I just want to get better,'” Close said. “I just think especially the last three to four weeks, I feel like she’s hit a groove of what does it look like for her to be an elite teammate and a puzzle piece for championship-level team.”

It’s a sentiment that Barker echoes. She went from being a starter at Texas A&M to coming off the bench at UCLA. Even though she was named the Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year, it’s been an adjustment for her in terms of settling into a role she wasn’t accustomed to.

“This has been very hard for me, I’m not gonna lie. Just adjusting and still trying to feel confident in who I am, and adjusting to the role that they want me to be for the team,” Barker told The Next following UCLA’s win against Richmond. “But I just want to win. And I know that whatever I do, whatever they need me to do that night whether it’s defense or go get some rebounds, I just do it for my team to get the win.”

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During the Bruins’ win against Southern in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, Barker’s skill-set was on full display. She finished with a double-double of ten points and ten rebounds to go along with four assists and two blocked shots in 17 minutes.

In UCLA’s round of 32 win against Richmond, her stat line was again a well-rounded one. She had four points, eight rebounds and four assists in 16 minutes. She followed that up with eight points, six rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocked shots in the Bruins’ Sweet 16 win against Mississippi.

Barker may not have the ball in her hands as much as she did back at Texas A&M, but she’s come an all-around threat for UCLA. She rebounds when they need it, she locks up defensively, she brings hustle and energy and at times she can still score with the best of them.

“My perspective has changed. I don’t have to score to impact the game. But people still know I can score. People know, there’s nobody in one-on-one iso that can guard me. Everybody still knows that at the end of the day,” Barker said. “I just think there’s many aspects of my game that show and shine when I don’t have the ball in my hands.”

When UCLA knocked off LSU to advance to the Final Four for the first time since they’ve been a part of the NCAA, Barker was instrumental in the win despite not having a huge stat line.

She had only six points and two rebounds, but she got to the free-throw line eight times. She consistently put pressure on the LSU defense when Lauren Betts was on the bench in foul trouble.

Following the LSU win, Close made sure to single out Barker for playing an important role even if the stat sheet didn’t show it.

“I thought Janiah actually was really big for us,” Close said. “Her stat line isn’t going to show what her moxie brings us. There’s something about what she brings us.”

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When Barker made the decision to transfer to UCLA back during the offseason, she knew the role she was accustomed to on the court was going to change. Through Barker’s two seasons at Texas A&M, the Aggies had missed the postseason, and then were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

She wanted to experience a deep March Madness run. She wanted the chance to be a part of a winning team. That was the main reason why Barker made the decision to join the Bruins.

“From high school I was always a winner, Team USA, won a national championship, a state championship, and so just not winning I feel like was making me uncomfortable. Was making me something like, I need more,” Barker said. “UCLA was already a winning team and I knew that coming here. I knew I could also help and help them win as well.”

With UCLA advancing to the Final Four, there still might come a time when the Bruins are going to need Barker’s offense. She’s one of the select players on the team who’s capable of creating her own shot.

She averaged double digits in scoring her first two seasons in college but is down to 7.5 points per game this year, as per Sports Reference. She is shooting 46.4 percent from the field, pulling down 6.0 rebounds and dishing out 1.5 assists.

She knows she’ll be ready if and when UCLA needs her offense, and she credits assistant coach James Clark with helping keep her sharp for when that opportunity comes.

“We work out every day, and we get in the gym every day. And I feel like with him, I’m so confident in my game,” Barker said. “When I do get the chance to score, I’m still confident in my shot, whatever move I’m gonna make.