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Janiah Barker, Montverde win GEICO Nationals for injured Jordana Codio

(Courtesy of SEQL [Sports Equality])

When it was over, when the final buzzer had sounded on the Montverde girls’ basketball team’s GEICO Nationals victory, Janiah Barker wrapped her arms around her best friend. Together, they cried.

“We did this,” Barker said to Jordana Codio, “for you.”

Just over a year ago, the stars from opposite Florida coasts decided to team up for their senior seasons. Barker, a 5-star forward per ESPN, and Codio, a 4-star guard, had long been AAU teammates, and both were in search of a change of scenery — and a national championship.

They landed on Montverde, a boarding school about 25 miles outside Orlando long known as a powerhouse for men’s basketball. Second-year coach Special Jennings was intent on building that same reputation for the girls’ team, and Barker and Codio fit right into her vision.

Seventeen games into the season, everything was going according to plan. The Eagles had won 14 games, and Barker and Codio were the team’s two leading scorers. Then, near the end of the third quarter of Montverde’s game against Cardinal Mooney (Sarasota, Fla.) on Jan. 21, Codio — whose junior season had been cut short by a torn ACL — rose for a layup.

“As I planted to go up, a girl bumped me. She was a little late to help,” Codio said. “My knee buckled on the way up, and I fell down. In that instant, I already knew I had done it again.”

Splayed out on the floor, Codio “made a scene” as her teammates surrounded her. “Oh my god! Oh my god!” she shouted, more from the emotional weight of the moment than physical pain.

An MRI revealed Codio had, in fact, suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in her right knee for the second year in a row. Codio’s dreams of winning GEICO Nationals with her best friend had been dashed, but some words of encouragement from Barker helped brighten her outlook:

“Everything happens for a reason.”

Codio had good reason to believe Barker.

Her junior season at American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) had been sullied even before the first ACL tear. In response to a racial slur being used in a virtual classroom, Codio and a teammate wore “Black Lives Matter” T-shirts during pregame warm-ups. After American Heritage administration asked the players not to wear the shirts moving forward, citing a violation of uniform policy, Codio and her teammate said they would do so anyway. The following two games were then canceled. The administration said the cancellations were due to COVID-19 concerns, but others took the act as retaliation, and the story gained national attention.

It was a turbulent time, Codio said, but it brought her to a better place. She knew it was time to transfer, and she wondered if Barker might be looking to team up.

The two first met in the ninth grade on a recruiting visit to Florida, and their relationship blossomed when they discovered their on-court chemistry playing for Essence, their AAU team.

“We played really good together,” Codio said. “We were each other’s hype man.”

After three seasons at Tampa Bay Tech, where she developed into the No. 3 player in the class of 2022, Barker was also looking for a new home. She wanted to compete on the national level.

“Before I even got to Montverde, I knew GEICO was the end goal,” Barker said on an episode of WSlAM’s “All Eyes on Us.” Codio, sitting beside Barker, nodded her head silently.

For 17 games, the duo got to share the court, leading Montervde to wins over some of the nation’s best, including a 56-51 victory over Duncanville (Texas) on Nov. 26.

When Codio went down, Barker — and the rest of her Eagles teammates — found a renewed purpose.

“Everyone wanted to win for her, because she’s a fighter,” Jennings said. “We wanted to send her off the right way.”

Codio embraced her role as unofficial team mascot. Held upright by crutches, she cheered her teammates on during practice, and even helped operate the clock. By the start of GEICO Nationals last weekend, Codio had shed her crutches and was ready to watch her team from the bench.

She watched as Montverde, led by Barker’s 13 points and seven rebounds, beat DME 67-54 in the national semifinal, and then New Hope 61-57 in the final. The Eagles overcame a seven-point deficit with five minutes remaining after Jennings posed the team a question during a timeout: “How do you want to be remembered?”

As the rest of the Eagles stormed Jennings, Barker hung back and hugged Codio, who will look to mount another comeback next season as a freshman at Texas. Barker’s future is more uncertain: After Georgia coach Joni Taylor left to take the job at Texas A&M, Barker reopened her commitment.

Wherever she ends up, Barker will no doubt take inspiration from Codio’s journey. She likely won’t be the only one.

“Her story should be heard by other young girls,” Jennings said of Codio. “It takes a strong individual to go through what she’s gone through. I think that should be spoken about and celebrated.”

Josh Needelman is the High School Sports Editor at Just Women’s Sports. Follow him on Twitter @JoshNeedelman.

Indiana Fever Shoots for Redemption Against Seattle Storm

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark waits for an inbound pass during a 2025 WNBA game.
The Fever are looking to end a two-game losing streak. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The WNBA is back in action on Tuesday night, as the Indiana Fever and Seattle Storm headline a series of games that could make or break the current trajectories of several 2025 title contenders.

Seeking an especially strong Tuesday performance is the Fever, as Indiana tries to snap a two-game losing streak against the increasingly confident Storm.

"There are going to be stretches that are really good and there's going to be stretches that aren't as good," Fever guard Caitlin Clark said on Sunday, addressing her recent shooting slump.

While the Indiana and Seattle clash will lead the Tuesday charge, the night will also see young squads sizing up WNBA juggernauts as bottom-table teams look for a leg up:

  • No. 8 Indiana Fever vs. No. 5 Seattle Storm, 10 PM ET (NBA TV): The Fever need a win against a Storm side that can't seem to lose, as both teams eye the postseason.
  • No. 1 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 9 Washington Mystics, 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The up-and-coming Mystics will attempt to hand the Lynx a second season loss, as Minnesota star Napheesa Collier remains day-to-day with lower back stiffness.
  • No. 4 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 12 Dallas Wings, 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The Dream are on a tear, surging up the standings as the struggling Wings attempt to take flight.
  • No. 10 LA Sparks vs. No. 11 Chicago Sky, 8 PM ET (NBA TV): The Sparks have cooled after a hot start while the Sky has yet to rev up, with both teams aiming to end a three-game losing streak on Tuesday night.

Teams across the league are hoping to make the most of every minute while also managing injury concerns and absences as the WNBA All-Star break looms.

WNBA Rookie of the Year Odds Shift as 2025 Draft Picks Heat Up

Washington Mystics rookie Sonia Citron guards Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers during a 2025 WNBA game.
Washington rookie Sonia Citron and first-year Dallas star Paige Bueckers are both off to hot starts in their WNBA careers. (Stephen Goslings/NBAE via Getty Images)

The WNBA Class of 2025 is already making its mark on the league, with first-year players stepping up and showing out while the Rookie of the Year race — and betting odds — heat up.

No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers has been just as good as advertised, with the Dallas Wings guard leading her class in both minutes played and points per game while also charting league-wide in assists per game, steals per game, and mid-range shots made.

DraftKings currently has Bueckers as the clear WNBA Rookie of the Year race frontrunner at -1,000, though the dynamic DC duo of guard Sonia Citron (+1,500) and forward Kiki Iriafen (+1,000) are quickly gaining traction.

Iriafen won May's WNBA Rookie of the Month award after a series of career-opening double-doubles, while her Washington Mystics teammate Citron has continued to execute in the clutch — most recently posting a career-high double-double performance of 27 points and 11 rebounds in last Sunday's 91-88 overtime win over Dallas.

"Not only is [Iriafen] holding her own, she's excelling," Citron told JWS earlier this month. "And seeing that is just incredible."

"Soni just does all the little things," Iriafen added. "She doesn't shortcut anything, she's doing the fundamentals, she doesn't cheat the game at all."

International Signings Ramp Up as Soccer Teams Break for Women’s Euro 2025

San Diego Wave forward María Sánchez dribbles the ball during a 2025 NWSL match.
San Diego forward María Sánchez is transferring to Liga MX side UANL Tigres. (John Matthew Harrison/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Though the NWSL hit the pause button this week, players worldwide are still on the move, as both European and US soccer teams use the midseason break to sharpen their lineups with international signings.

The NWSL has already seen one major departure, with the San Diego Wave announcing Monday that forward María Sánchez will return to her former Liga MX club UANL Tigres after nearly five years in the NWSL, with the Wave set to receive an undisclosed transfer fee in return.

"When the opportunity came to return to Tigres, I had to do a lot of inner searching, and I ultimately decided that returning to Liga MX Femenil and Tigres specifically was the best course of action for my career," the 29-year-old dual citizen and Mexico international player said in the Wave's release.

NWSL clubs are also setting their sights on European free agents, with the Washington Spirit bringing in Juventus forward Sofia Cantore last week — the first Italian signing in league history.

Also hopping aboard the player transaction carousel is new WSL side London City, with the top-flight debutantes inking OL Lyonnes midfielder and Dutch international Daniëlle van de Donk on Friday.

Meanwhile, van de Donk's wife and club teammate Ellie Carpenter is also potentially WSL-bound, with the defender reportedly nearing a deal that would see the Australian join Chelsea FC in return for the Blues sending Canadian international Ashley Lawrence to OL Lyonnes.

For their part, OL Lyonnes picked up defender Ingrid Engen from Barcelona as a free agent last week, adding the Norwegian international after snagging French forward and PSG's all-time leading scorer Marie-Antoinette Katoto earlier this month.

With the most recent NWSL CBA abolishing traditional trade windows, expect even more international signings and roster reshufflings before the league resumes play on August 1st.

San Diego Wave Honors Alex Morgan with Jersey Retirement

San Diego Wave players applaud Alex Morgan as she exits the pitch during her final NWSL game in 2024.
Morgan won the NWSL Shield with San Diego in 2023. (Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

San Diego is paying tribute to one of their own, with the Wave announcing plans to retire the No. 13 jersey of NWSL and USWNT legend Alex Morgan on September 7th.

Still topping the team's all-time scoring leaderboard with 23 goals in just over two seasons with San Diego, the retired club captain will be the first-ever Wave player to receive the prestigious honor.

Morgan also led San Diego to the 2023 NWSL Shield as well as postseason appearances in the 2022 expansion club's first two seasons.

"Alex's legacy goes far beyond goals and accolades. She helped lay the foundation for this club and elevated the standard for what women's soccer is today," said Wave FC governor Lauren Leichtman in the team's Tuesday announcement.

"She made this city her home, inspired our fans and community, and helped define who we are," Leichtman continued. "Her impact will be felt for generations, and it's only fitting that her number becomes a permanent part of Wave FC history." 

Morgan joined the Southern California squad's ownership group just last month, saying "San Diego is where I've built my home, where I am raising my children, and found a purpose beyond my playing career."

How to attend the San Diego jersey retirement of Alex Morgan

San Diego will officially retire Morgan's No. 13 jersey during their home match against the Houston Dash at 8 PM ET on September 7th.

Tickets to the game will go on sale to the general public online at 6 PM ET on Tuesday.

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