TEMPE- The greatest player in the Arizona State women's basketball program history, Briann January, had an opportunity to see the team play in Sunday's game against the Kansas State Wildcats.
One of January's first impressions of Sun Devils head coach Molly Miller is that she sees similarities between her and Charli Turner Thorne, a former longtime head coach who coached from 1996 to 2022.
"She's [Arizona State women's basketball head coach Molly Miller] engaged," January told Devils in Detail on Miller Monday. "She's locked in. She follows the flow of the game. She keeps a really good pulse of who needs to come in [and who needs to] come out. I really like the way she managed the game."
During her tenure in Tempe, January led the Sun Devils to two appearances in the Elite Eight in 2007 and 2009, and received Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year awards twice. Known for her defensive intensity and powerful offense, she became an impactful player in Arizona State's history with her contributions to the program.
Throughout her 14-year playing career, January played for four different teams —Indiana Fever (2009-17), Phoenix Mercury (2018-19), Connecticut Sun (2020-21), and Seattle Storm (2022) —and won a championship with Tamika Catchings and the Fever in 2012.
She was named to the WNBA's All-Defensive First and Second Teams seven times and participated in the 2014 WNBA All-Star Game, which took place in Phoenix.
After her retirement in 2022, January was inducted into the Sun Devil Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2022 and had her jersey number (No. 20) retired a year prior.
When she observed the Arizona State women's basketball on Sunday's game, which was also the Briann January bobblehead day, she shared her insights on the backcourt duo of fifth-year guard Gabby Elliott and senior guard Marley Washenitz.
January vividly remembers the 'Hail Marley' shot that handed the Sun Devils a thrilling victory at home over the UNLV Lady Rebels in November.
"I really like both of them [Gabby Elliott and Marley Washenitz], and I'd like to see them both be more aggressive and more assertive, just consistency," January told Devils in Detail on Elliott and Washenitz. "And that comes with time and continued work, but I do like the way they've stepped up in big games. I have seen them do really good things."
What January is most impressed with is how Miller formed the frontcourt duo of sophomore forward Heloisa Carrera and junior forward McKinna Brackens.
On Wednesday's game against the Arizona Wildcats, Carrera and Brackens recorded a double-double of rebounds, which led the Sun Devils to getting its first victory over the rivals in nearly four years.
"I mean, they have tremendous upside," January said of Carrera and Brackens. "I'm ready to see them take that next step and dominate, because they both have the talent and skill to do that. They're finding their rhythm, but I want them to be assertive and really use their skill set and be consistent for 40 minutes. "
As Arizona State has a record of 18-5 (5-5 Big 12) so far in the season, they have eight games left in order to continue the preparation for the Big 12 Tournament and potentially the NCAA Women's Tournament.
January encourages Arizona State to prepare for the Big 12 Tournament by continuing to capture victories and sticking together throughout the course, especially in the first year of the Molly Miller era.
"It's just continuing to stack days," January told Devils in Detail." You've got to continue to get better, especially at this time of year, ike, really lock in. You only have six weeks and then hopefully some more if you make it to the tournament. But, you have to really lock in right now. This is the time when you need to ascend and continue and start to peak. And right now, they really need to focus on building on what they're doing positively and then clean up some of the mistakes."
No matter the results, January will always root for the Sun Devils, where she made a name for herself during her days in Tempe, and believes they'll have an opportunity for a postseason play.
She went on to make an impact in the WNBA while bringing the Arizona community together.
"I'm going to always be cheering to the forum, and they're in good hands with Molly [Miller] ," January told Devils in Detail.