January adds heat to Sun Devils

On a cool summer day in Spokane, Briann January boarded a plane to go to college. When she disembarked she was slapped by the sweltering heat of Arizona.

Then came the standard bout of freshman homesickness.

“It’s beautiful now, though,” January said with enthusiasm.

Why wouldn’t it be?

January is playing a key role on the Arizona State basketball team that is 14-5 overall, 5-4 in the Pacific-10 Conference and ranked 19th in the country. Earlier this season, the Sun Devils matched the school record with nine consecutive wins and climbed to No. 9, also matching a school best from 22 years ago.

“She’s doing fabulous,” ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne said of January. “She’s been a huge part of our success this year. The most amazing statistic is I don’t think she’s played a game when she hasn’t taken a charge … we’re loving that. She makes things happen. She makes plays.”

Charges don’t show up in the box score, but a couple of other things do that confirm the coach’s praise. The 5-foot-8 guard is averaging 18.6 minutes a game, sixth on the team, but has still managed a team-high 30 steals and has been to the free-throw line 54 times (making 80 percent), which is third on the team. She also is averaging 4.6 points with 21 assists.

It would appear it was a smooth transition from Lewis and Clark High – which won 91 games and two State 4A trophies in her four years as a starter – to the big time.

“It was so hard,” January said. “In high school you never had to push yourself to the limit. When we started conditioning … that was so tough. It was mentally draining at first when I was really worried about stepping up to the challenge. You just have to be willing to learn and get better every day.”

That she has done, just like the area stars that preceded her to ASU and helped the Sun Devils reach the NCAA Sweet 16 last year. Now juniors Emily Westerberg (Central Valley) and Aubree Johnson (Post Falls), and sophomore Regan Pariseau (Central Valley) are all starters.

“They’ve been role models to me since I was little going through the Stars program,” January said of Westerberg and Johnson, in particular. “They work hard so they can compete at the highest level. They’ve helped make this team become what it is. They’ve shown me how hard you have to work to be competitive.

“Every day, when ever you step on the court, you have to bring it,” she continued. “Same thing with the league – every Pac-10 team can win on any given night. That’s totally different from high school.”

January is quick, but she quickly learned that’s not enough to get by at this level.

“You have to be strong just to get up and down the court,” she said. “It’s so much more physical. You have to be tough, real tough, because half the fouls aren’t called. And you have to match the intensity because you can’t take a possession off. Every possession is work.”

Turner Thorne expected January to contribute immediately.

“I would be lying if I said she surprised me,” Turner Thorne said. “I thought she was the best guard in the country last year. I said it to … everybody. I couldn’t be more proud of her or be more pleased with everything she is doing for us. I felt she could do it and would do it from the day I signed her.”

The coach was just as confident January and Pariseau, who is 5-5, could coexist in the same backcourt even though both were known as pure point guards in their All-Greater Spokane League days. Besides, they played together when the four local Sun Devils converged on the same Spokane Stars elite team.

“People out there have their opinions on positions, but you want the best players,” Turner Thorne explained. “From a coaching standpoint, you’re going to play your five best players. … You want people who can pass, rebound and defend, and Regan and Bri can do those things. They’re just both complete players.”

With the Sun Devils’ frenzied help defense, Turner Thorne said their size hasn’t been an issue, but she would like to see one change from them.

“They’re two great guards that are very effective in what we want to do,” she said. “What I want them both to do more is look to score. They both have that point guard mentality to set other people up.”