.jpg) January in 2019 | |
| Indiana Fever | |
|---|---|
| Title | Assistant coach |
| League | WNBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1987-01-11)January 11, 1987 (age 39) Spokane, Washington, U.S. |
| Listed height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Listed weight | 144 lb (65 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Lewis and Clark (Spokane, Washington) |
| College | Arizona State (2005–2009) |
| WNBA draft | 2009: 1st round, 6th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Indiana Fever |
| Playing career | 2009–2022 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 2009–2017 | Indiana Fever |
| 2009–2010 | Tarsus Belediyesi |
| 2010–2011 | Raanana Hertzeliya |
| 2012–2013 | Elektra Ramat Hasharon |
| 2013–2014 | Maranhao Basquete |
| 2014–2015 | Adana ASKİ SK |
| 2016–2017 | Adana ASKİ SK |
| 2018–2019 | Phoenix Mercury |
| 2019 | Sopron Basket |
| 2020–2021 | Connecticut Sun |
| 2022 | Seattle Storm |
Coaching | |
| 2017–2018 | Arizona State (assistant) |
| 2023–2024 | Connecticut Sun (assistant) |
| 2024–2025 | Motor City Cruise (assistant) |
| 2025–Present | Indiana Fever (assistant) |
| Career highlights | |
| As Assistant Coach As Player
| |
| Stats at WNBA.com | |
Stats atBasketball Reference  | |
Briann Jolie January (born January 11, 1987) is an American former professionalbasketball player in theWomen's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and current assistant coach for theIndiana Fever of theWNBA.[1][2][3] After a successful college career atArizona State University, January was drafted by theIndiana Fever with the sixth overall pick in the2009 WNBA draft. She has also played for thePhoenix Mercury, theConnecticut Sun, and theSeattle Storm.
Briann Jolie January was born inSpokane, Washington on January 11, 1987,[4][5] the daughter of Barry, akarate instructor, and Sally, a teacher. She has a younger sister, Kiara. January holds ablack belt in karate.[6]
January was a 2005 graduate ofLewis and Clark High School inSpokane, Washington, earning first-team all-state honors by both theAssociated Press and theSeattle Times. 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.[7]
January attendedArizona State University for four seasons. As a freshman, January was named to thePac-10'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 three-point field goals (65). She also tied the school's single-game record with seven three-pointers in ASU's win atUC 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 ofSports Illustrated with fellow Sun Devil and futureNBA starJames Harden.[8]
Source:[9]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | Points | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-06 | Arizona State | 32 | 155 | 33.9 | 21.7 | 79.5 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 4.8 |
| 2006-07 | Arizona State | 35 | 358 | 44.0 | 42.3 | 81.7 | 2.2 | 4.0 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 10.2 |
| 2007-08 | Arizona State | 33 | 374 | 44.4 | 34.8 | 86.4 | 3.0 | 4.4 | 2.2 | 0.1 | 11.3 |
| 2008-09 | Arizona State | 35 | 430 | 43.3 | 44.8 | 83.5 | 2.5 | 4.8 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 12.3 |
| Career | Arizona State | 135 | 1317 | 42.6 | 39.9 | 83.0 | 2.5 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 9.8 |
January was drafted with the 6th overall pick in the2009 WNBA draft by theIndiana Fever.[10] As a rookie in theWNBA, 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 byTamika Catchings andKatie Douglas advanced all the way to the2009 WNBA Finals where they lost 3–2 to thePhoenix Mercury. 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 atorn ACL.[11]
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-defendingMinnesota Lynx 3–1 in the finals. In February 2013, January signed a multi-year contract with the Fever.[12]
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.[13]
In 2015, January was shooting a career-high in both field goal and three-point field goal 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 August 2015, January signed a multi-year contract extension with the Fever.[14] At the conclusion of the2015 season, she was named to theAll-Defensive First Team alongside Fever teammate,Tamika Catchings.[15]
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 thePhoenix Mercury in exchange for a top-10 draft pick in March 2018.[16] In 2018, January would be the starting point guard for the Mercury, joiningDiana Taurasi in the backcourt. She would put a new career high in three-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 theConnecticut Sun 96–86. In the semi-finals, the Mercury lost in five games to theSeattle Storm.
In 2019, January re-signed with the Mercury to a multi-year deal.[17] On July 10, 2019, January scored a season-high 18 points in a 91–68 victory against theWashington Mystics.[18] 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 theChicago Sky.
For the 2009–10 off-season, January played inTurkey for Tarsus Belediyes. In the 2010–11 off-season, January played inIsrael 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 inBrazil for Maranhao Basquete. In the 2014–15 off-season, January played in Turkey once again forAdana ASKİ SK. In July 2016, January signed with Adana ASKİ SK for a second stint during the 2016–17 off-season.[19] In 2019, January signed withSopron Basket of the Hungarian League for the 2019–20 off-season.
January spent the 2013–14 off-season as a volunteer assistant coach for theAdelphi University women's basketball program.[20] With January's help, the team advanced to the NCAA tournament as a #2 seed, after losing 48 games over the previous three seasons. In August 2017, it was announced that January would be the assistant coach forArizona State's women's basketball team during the off-season.[21]
January returned to the coaching world when theConnecticut Sun announced her as a new assistant coach forStephanie White's staff on January 3, 2023.[2]
On November 11, 2024, January became an assistant coach for theMotor City Cruise of theNBA G League.[22]
On April 2, 2025, Fever announced that January would return to the franchise as their new Assistant Coach.[3]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
| † | Denotes seasons in which January won aWNBA championship |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Indiana | 33 | 4 | 20.7 | .333 | .287 | .851 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 6.9 |
| 2010 | Indiana | 30 | 7 | 21.9 | .371 | .356 | .826 | 2.0 | 3.1 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 2.2 | 7.4 |
| 2011 | Indiana | 10 | 10 | 28.6 | .357 | .318 | .829 | 1.4 | 5.0 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 3.3 | 8.6 |
| 2012† | Indiana | 31 | 26 | 28.4 | .404 | .430 | .874 | 1.8 | 3.9 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 2.4 | 10.3 |
| 2013 | Indiana | 32 | 32 | 29.6 | .348 | .357 | .811 | 2.4 | 3.7 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 2.4 | 9.8 |
| 2014 | Indiana | 31 | 31 | 28.9 | .387 | .383 | .880 | 1.6 | 3.7 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 2.2 | 10.3 |
| 2015 | Indiana | 29 | 29 | 27.0 | .426 | .431° | .845 | 1.8 | 3.4 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 8.1 |
| 2016 | Indiana | 29 | 27 | 28.1 | .401 | .392 | .875 | 1.8 | 4.7 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 9.7 |
| 2017 | Indiana | 25 | 24 | 26.3 | .395 | .316 | .817 | 1.5 | 3.9 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 2.1 | 9.5 |
| 2018 | Phoenix | 33 | 33 | 27.1 | .423 | .470° | .806 | 2.1 | 3.3 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 7.0 |
| 2019 | Phoenix | 32 | 26 | 26.6 | .390 | .378 | .836 | 1.3 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 6.5 |
| 2020 | Connecticut | 33 | 13 | 23.3 | .293 | .355 | .833 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 5.0 |
| 2021 | Connecticut | 29 | 29 | 30.2 | .425 | .380 | .868 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 1.8 | 7.0 |
| 2022 | Seattle | 36 | 5 | 16.9 | .377 | .311 | .826 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 3.7 |
| Career | 14 years, 4 teams | 393 | 293 | 25.8 | .385 | .376 | .845 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 2.0 | 7.8 |
| All-Star | 1 | 0 | 17.0 | .500 | .600 | — | 1.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 9.0 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Indiana | 10 | 0 | 38.5 | .385 | .414 | .850 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 10.6 |
| 2010 | Indiana | 3 | 0 | 19.7 | .313 | .200 | .900 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 2.6 | 6.7 |
| 2012† | Indiana | 10 | 10 | 34.1 | .426 | .227 | .900 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 3.0 | 11.5 |
| 2013 | Indiana | 4 | 4 | 29.6 | .370 | .444 | .857 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 7.5 |
| 2014 | Indiana | 5 | 5 | 35.2 | .322 | .353 | .833 | 2.8 | 4.2 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 2.0 | 12.8 |
| 2015 | Indiana | 11 | 11 | 32.2 | .407 | .286 | .933 | 2.3 | 5.0 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 2.7 | 11.3 |
| 2016 | Indiana | 1 | 1 | 33.3 | .308 | .000 | .667 | 0.0 | 9.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 12.0 |
| 2018 | Phoenix | 7 | 7 | 35.4 | .352 | .276 | .667 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 7.1 |
| 2019 | Phoenix | 1 | 1 | 26.4 | .429 | .000 | 1.000° | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 12.0 |
| 2020 | Connecticut | 7 | 7 | 32.6 | .347 | .345 | 1.000 | 1.9 | 3.6 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 9.0 |
| 2021 | Connecticut | 3 | 3 | 34.0 | .529 | .625 | .676 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 10.7 |
| 2022 | Seattle | 6 | 0 | 7.2 | .500 | .00 | .00 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 1.0 |
| Career | 12 years, 4 teams | 68 | 49 | 28.7 | .384 | .324 | .855 | 2.2 | 3.6 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 9.3 |
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