Tennessee women’s basketball senior Janiah Barker has been named to the Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Preseason Top 20 Watch List, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Thursday afternoon.
The Katrina McClain Award, now in its ninth year, recognizes the top power forward in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball. It is named after the two-time All-American, 1987 National Player of the Year and Class of 2012 Hall of Famer.
Barker, a 6-foot-4 senior forward from Marietta, Ga., appeared in 36 games and made three starts in her lone season at UCLA in 2024-25, earning Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year accolades. She tied for sixth on the team in scoring at 7.4 ppg. and was second in rebounding at 6.0 rpg., shooting 46.5 percent from the field. Barker finished with 11 games of scoring in double figures and posted six double-doubles.
Prior to her stint at UCLA, Barker made the Katrina McClain Award Watch List in 2023-24 during the second of two seasons at Texas A&M. She started 34 of 49 games during her time with the Aggies, averaging 12.4 ppg. and 6.9 rpg. while shooting percentages of 47.0 from the field and 36.2 from the three-point arc.
In her first college season, Barker led A&M at 12.7 ppg. and was second with 5.9 rpg. in 2022-23. She picked up SEC All-Freshman Team distinction and was twice named SEC Freshman of the Week and once selected as USBWA National Freshman of the Week that year.
Fans can support their favorite player by participating in fan voting starting Oct. 31. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2026 Katrina McClain Award will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to McClain and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee, where winners will be selected. The selection committee for the Katrina McClain Award is composed of top women’s college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 2026 McClain Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Women’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Award (Point Guard), Ann Meyers Drysdale Award (Shooting Guard), Cheryl Miller Award (Small Forward) and the Lisa Leslie Award (Center).
For more information on the 2026 Katrina McClain Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallu, #MaloneAward, and #McClainAward on X and Instagram.
Fans interested in seeing the Lady Vols play should visit AllVols.com for ticket information. Big Orange supporters will have 13 regular season opportunities to get behind their team at home, with season and single-game tickets currently on sale. Besides purchasing online, fans can also buy tickets by calling the UT Ticket Office at 1-800-332-VOLS between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee women’s basketball team on social media, follow @LadyVol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /BallWithTheLadyVols on Facebook.
