Briann January (born January 11, 1987) is a former American professional basketball player for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and current assistant coach for the Connecticut Sun. After a successful college career at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

, January was drafted by the

Indiana Fever The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the 2000 season began. The team is owned ...

with the sixth overall pick in the 2009 WNBA draft. She has also played for the

Phoenix Mercury The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference (WNBA), Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the league ...

, the Connecticut Sun, and the

Seattle Storm The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerl ...

Personal life

Briann Jolie January was born in Spokane, Washington on January 11, 1987, the daughter of Barry, a

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

instructor, and Sally, a teacher. She has an older sister, Aleisha (Anderson), brother-in-law Calvin, and a younger sister, Kiara. She also has a niece, Leilani and two nephews, Caiden and Cord’e. January holds a

black belt Black Belt may refer to: Martial arts * Black belt (martial arts), an indication of attainment of expertise in martial arts * ''Black Belt'' (magazine), a magazine covering martial arts news, technique, and notable individuals Places * Black B ...

in karate.

High school

January was a 2005 graduate of Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane, Washington, earning first-team all-state honors by both the Associated Press and the ''

Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington st ...

''. January served as a team captain in track and field as a senior. She won the state high jump title in 2004, with her personal best in the high jump being 5–8. Led Lewis and Clark to a 25–3 record and an appearance in the state semifinals as a senior, averaging 13 points a game in her final season, and was team MVP and assists leader in each of her four seasons.

College career

January attended

for four seasons. As a freshman, January was named to the

Pac-10 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...

's 2006 All-Freshman Team after a season in which she finished first on the team in both assists (86) and steals (46). The 86 assists represented the second-highest total ever for a Sun Devil freshman. When January was a sophomore she earned All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention honors for a season in which she finished No. 3 in the Pac-10 in steals (2.1 per game), No. 4 in assists (4.0 per game), No. 4 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.67) and No. 6 in free throw percentage (81.7). In her final season as a Sun Devil, January set the school's single-season record for 3-point field goals (65). She also tied the school's single-game record with seven 3-pointers in ASU's win at UC Davis on December 3. After four seasons as a Sun Devil, January is the only player in school history to lead the team in steals and assists four straight years. Entering her senior season at Arizona State in 2008, January appeared on a regional cover of Sports Illustrated with fellow Sun Devil and future

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

star James Harden.

College statistics

Source

WNBA career

January was drafted with the 6th overall pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft by the

. As a rookie in the WNBA, January came off the bench, playing 33 games with 4 starts while averaging 6.9 points per game for the Fever. January also experienced her first WNBA finals appearance in her rookie season with the Fever, who were led by

Tamika Catchings Tamika Devonne Catchings (born July 21, 1979) is an American retired professional basketball player who played her entire 15-year career for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Catchings has won a WNBA champio ...

and Katie Douglas advanced all the way to the

2009 WNBA Finals The 2009 WNBA Finals was the championship series of the 2009 WNBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Indiana Fever, top-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, faced the Phoenix Mercury, top-seeded champions of the We ...

where they lost 3-2 to the

. En route to the finals, January was able to provide an offensive spark off the bench for the Fever during the playoffs, averaging 10.6 points per game in 10 games. In the 2011 season, January officially became the starting point guard for the Fever, but after playing only 10 games, she was sidelined for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. In 2012, January came back healthy and averaged a career-high 10.3 points per game. She was the Fever's third-leading scorer on the roster that would eventually win the WNBA Championship, they had defeated the championship-defending

Minnesota Lynx The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team won the WNBA title in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017. Founded pr ...

3-1 in the finals. In 2014, January was named a WNBA All-Star for the first time in her career, she had tied her career-high in scoring average for the whole season. In 2015, January was shooting a career-high in both field goal and 3-point percentage. The Fever advanced to the finals for the second time in four years. They had once again faced the Minnesota Lynx but lost the series in five games. In 2016 and 2017, January would be named to first and second all-defensive team respectively. After nine seasons played with the Fever, January was traded to the

in exchange for a top-10 draft pick in March 2018. In 2018, January would be the starting point guard for the Mercury, joining

Diana Taurasi Diana Lorena Taurasi (born June 11, 1982) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted by Phoenix first overall in the 2004 WNBA draft. Taurasi has w ...

in the backcourt. She would put a new career-high in 3-point percentage while leading the league in that category. The Mercury finished 20-14 with the number 5 seed in the league. They would defeat the Dallas Wings in the first round elimination game 101-83. In the second round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the Connecticut Sun 96-86. In the semi-finals, the Mercury lost in five games to the

. In 2019, January re-signed with the Mercury to a multi-year deal. On July 10, 2019, January scored a season-high 18 points in a 91-68 victory against the Washington Mystics. The Mercury finished as the number 8 seed with a 15-19 record. The Mercury were eliminated in the first round elimination game 105-76 by the Chicago Sky.

Overseas career

For the 2009–10 off-season, January played in Turkey for Tarsus Belediyes. In the 2010–11 off-season, January played in Israel for Raanana Hertzeliya. In the 2012–13 off-season, January played in Israel once again for Elektra Ramat Hasharon. In the 2013–14 off-season, January played in Brazil for Maranhao Basquete. In the 2014–15 off-season, January played in Turkey once again for

Adana ASKİ SK Adana ASKİ SK is a sports club in Adana. Its principal branch is the women's basketball, currently performing at the top flight of the Turkish Women’s Basketball Super League (KBSL). The venue of the basketball team is Menderes Sports Hall. ...

. In July 2016, January signed with Adana ASKİ SK for a second stint during the 2016–17 off-season. In 2019, January signed with Sopron Basket of the Hungarian League for the 2019-20 off-season.

Coaching career

January spent the 2013–14 off-season as a volunteer assistant coach for the Adelphi University women's basketball program. With January's help, the team advanced to the NCAA tournament as a #2 seed, after losing 48 games over the previous 3 seasons. In August 2017, it was announced that January would be the assistant coach for Arizona State's women's basketball team during the off-season.Indiana Fever's Briann January looks ahead to offseason as Arizona State assistant coach
/ref> January returned to the coaching world when the Connecticut Sun announced her as a new assistant coach for

Stephanie White Stephanie Joanne White (formerly Stephanie White-McCarty; born June 20, 1977) is a former professional basketball player and head coach of the Connecticut Sun of the WNBA. She was previously head coach of the Vanderbilt Commodores women's basket ...

's staff on January 3, 2023.

WNBA statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 33 , , 4 , , 20.7 , , .333 , , .287 , , .851 , , 1.9 , , 2.3 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.7 , , 6.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 30 , , 7 , , 21.9 , , .371 , , .356 , , .826 , , 2.0 , , 3.1 , , 1.2 , , 0.1 , , 2.2 , , 7.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 10 , , 10 , , 28.6, , .357, , .318, , .829, , 1.4 , , 5.0 , , 1.5 , , 0.0 , , 3.3 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

^† , style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 31 , , 26 , , 28.4 , , .404 , , .430 , , .874 , , 1.8 , , 3.9 , , 1.1 , , 0.1 , , 2.4 , , 10.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 32 , , 32 , , 29.6, , .348 , , .357 , , .811 , , 2.4 , , 3.7 , , 1.0 , , 0.1 , , 2.4 , , 9.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 31 , , 31 , , 28.9, , .387 , , .383 , , .880 , , 1.6 , , 3.7 , , 1.2 , , 0.2 , , 2.2 , , 10.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

, style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 29 , , 29 , , 27.0, , .426 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", .431° , , .845 , , 1.8 , , 3.4 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 2.1 , , 8.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 29 , , 27 , , 28.1, , .401 , , .392 , , .875 , , 1.8 , , 4.7 , , 1.2 , , 0.1 , , 1.7 , , 9.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 25 , , 24 , , 26.3, , .395, , .316 , , .817 , , 1.5 , , 3.9 , , 0.9 , , 0.1 , , 2.1 , , 9.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 33 , , 33 , , 27.1, , .423, , style="background:#D3D3D3", .470°, , .806 , , 2.1 , , 3.3 , , 0.5 , , 0.1 , , 1.4 , , 7.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 32 , , 26 , , 26.6, , .390 , , .378 , , .836 , , 1.3 , , 3.3 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 1.6 , , 6.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, style="text-align:left;", Connecticut , 33 , , 13 , , 23.3 , , .293 , , .355 , , .833 , , 1.2 , , 3.4 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 1.2 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, style="text-align:left;", Connecticut , 29 , , 29 , , 30.2 , , .425 , , .380 , , .868 , , 1.4 , , 3.1 , , 0.9 , , 0.1 , , 1.8 , , 7.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

, style="text-align:left;", Seattle , 36 , , 5 , , 16.9 , , .377 , , .311 , , .826 , , 1.0 , , 2.4 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 1.5 , , 3.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 14 years, 4 teams , 393 , , 293 , , 25.8 , , .385 , , .376 , , .845 , , 1.7 , , 3.4 , , 1.0 , , 0.1 , , 2.0 , , 7.8

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 10 , , 0 , , 38.5 , , .385 , , .414 , , .850 , , 2.4 , , 3.0 , , 0.4 , , 0.0 , , 1.3, , 10.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 3 , , 0 , , 19.7 , , .313 , , .200 , , .900 , , 1.3 , , 2.0 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 2.6 , , 6.7 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

^† , style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 10 , , 10 , , 34.1 , , .426, , .227 , , .900 , , 2.3 , , 3.8 , , 1.6 , , 0.3 , , 3.0 , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 4, , 4, , 29.6, , .370 , , .444, , .857 , , 2.8 , , 3.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , , 7.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 5, , 5, , 35.2, , .322, , .353, , .833, , 2.8, , 4.2, , 1.2, , 0.8, , 2.0, , 12.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 11, , 11, , 32.2, , .407, , .286, , .933 , , 2.3, , 5.0, , 1.3, , 0.2, , 2.7, , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 1, , 1, , 33.3, , .308, , .000, , .667, , 0.0, , 9.0, , 3.0, , 0.0, , 1.0, , 12.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 7, , 7, , 35.4, , .352, , .276, , .667, , 2.9, , 3.7, , 0.7, , 0.0, , 1.0, , 7.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 1, , 1, , 26.4, , .429, , .000, , 1.000, , 2.0, , 2.0, , 1.0, , 0.0, , 3.0, , 12.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", Connecticut , 7 , , 7 , , 32.6 , , .347 , , .345 , , 1.000 , , 1.9 , , 3.6 , , 0.9 , , 0.0 , , 0.9 , , 9.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", Connecticut , 3 , , 3 , , 34.0 , , .529 , , .625 , , .676 , , 2.3 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.7 , , 10.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", Seattle , 6 , , 0 , , 7.2 , , .500 , , .00 , , .00 , , 0.5 , , 1.2 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.7 , , 1.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 12 years, 4 teams , 68 , , 49 , , 28.7 , , .384 , , .324 , , .855 , , 2.2 , , 3.6 , , 0.9 , , 0.2 , , 1.8 , , 9.3

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:January, Briann 1987 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Brazil American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American women's basketball coaches American women's basketball players Arizona State Sun Devils women's basketball players Basketball players from Spokane, Washington Connecticut Sun players Connecticut Sun coaches Indiana Fever draft picks Indiana Fever players LGBT basketball players LGBT people from Washington (state) Lesbian sportswomen Phoenix Mercury players Point guards Women's National Basketball Association All-Stars