The handshaking ritual after the UCLA-Tennessee game turned sour. Janiah Barker, who transferred to Tennessee after a season at UCLA, had a brush with her former coach. The two exchanged a quick handshake (yes, they did shake hands) and as Close leaned for a hug, Barker quickly pulled away. That caused quite the stir on social media, after which Barker herself clarified her stance regarding the situation.

“Janiah Barker appeared to avoid shaking hands with her former coach Cori Close after Tennessee’s loss,” wrote Fox College hoops on X. The moment was widely circulated in a similar narrative. Barker has come out to refute this viral clip: “We shook hands. Wish nothing but the best for Coach Corri.” Barker wrote on her Instagram stories.

To be clear, even in the viral video, Barker is se

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