Irvine Valley women's basketball team two-year star and Orange Empire Conference most valuable and all state player this past season Symantha Barnett has committed to NAIA Historically Black College University Dillard University in New Orleans, La.
Barnett was an all-Orange Empire Conference player in both of her seasons with the Lasers with the MVP honors in 2025-26.
The standout guard out of Downey High helped Irvine Valley reach the 3C2A State Championship event this past winter in one of the program's best campaigns in a few seasons.
Dillard is a NAIA Division I member and competes in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC).
Barnett along with teammate and fellow sophomore Alexis Price were named to California Community College Women's Basketball Association all-state teams just before the state tournament started this past winter.
Barnett was picked as a first team all-state selection.
She served as the engine of the Lasers offense in 2025-26, establishing herself as a true floor general.
Barnett averaged 13.7 points per game, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists while guiding Irvine Valley to a winning conference campaign.
In her career at Irvine Valley, she played in 61 games and started 59 contests, scored 781 total points (including 430 points this past season) and averaged 12.8 points per game over her two years at IVC.
Barnett scored in double figures in 23 games and had over 20 points in six games during the 2025-26 basketball season, including a season-high 27 points in a 74-53 victory at Riverside on Jan. 16.
