The Indiana Fever has brought another alum back home to Indianapolis.
One Wednesday, April 2, the team announced Briann January — who helped lead the team to a championship in 2012 — has signed on as an assistant coach ahead of the 2025 season.
Like Head Coach Stephanie White, January has plenty of history with the Fever. She was selected by the team as the No. 6 overall pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft just weeks after graduating from Arizona State University. She played 9 of her 14 seasons in the league with the Fever, won the championship in 2012, and remains the number 2 ranked player in terms of games played and assists.
Stephanie White says Briann January "is a winner"
White had only positive things to say about adding January to this year's squad. January, she explained, "is part of the fabric" of what makes the Fever great. "Bri’s example of toughness, resilience, work ethic, communication style and basketball IQ will be a great resource for our players, staff and community," White added.
January "is a winner" and White added she is "very excited to continue our coaching journey together."
January played 250 games for the Fever. During that time, she racked up 909 assists, 285 steals, and an 84.7% free-throw percentage. She also ended her time on the team with 2,244 career points, 721 field goals made, and 242 three-pointers made.
The Fever's 2012 playoff run was legendary
The Fever finished the 2012 season with a 22-12 record, which put them in 2nd place in the Eastern Conference. Though they lost their first game against the Atlanta Dream, the team quickly rallied and went on to win back-to-back matches and ended up in the conference final against the Connecticut Sun. The Fever again lost the first game, but went on to win the next two, which landed them into the championship match against the Minnesota Lynx.
The Lynx, who were the returning champions after having won the title in 2011, ended their own season with the best record (27-7) in the league, and managed to eliminate the Seattle Storm and the Los Angeles Sparks in the playoffs.
The Finals were played under a 2-2-1 rotation, which gave the Lynx the advantage at home — well, at first. The Fever managed to overtake the team three games to one to win it all, making them the second Eastern Conference WNBA team to do so.