COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Former Arizona State University standout and current Indiana Fever guard Briann January was one of 25 athletes named as finalists for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team, according to an announcement by USA Basketball on Monday.
The 25 finalists were selected by the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee, which will select the official 12-member U.S. Olympic Team later this year.
The USA Basketball Women’s National Team will conduct a training camp Feb. 21-23 at the University of Connecticut. Athletes taking part in the minicamp, which is expected to be the final training before the 2016 U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team is selected, will be announced at a later date and will come from the pool of finalists.
January was selected by the Fever with the sixth overall pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft. In that time she has played a major role in helping Indiana earn three trips to the WNBA Finals. January is coming off a 2015 campaign in which she shot career highs in field goal percentage (42.6 percent) and 3-point percentage (43.1 percent) while connecting on 84.5 percent of her free throw attempts. The Fever made it to the WNBA Finals last season where they were edged by Minnesota in five games (3-2). January averaged 15.4 points in the series.
In 2014 January was named to the East All-Star Team for the WNBA’s annual All-Star Game that was played in Phoenix. In 2012, January averaged 10.0 ppg in the WNBA Finals to help lead the Fever over the Minnesota Lynx for the WNBA title. As a rookie in 2009, January had an immediate impact as Indiana made its first WNBA finals appearance.
January ended her stint as a Sun Devil at or near the top of several ASU career statistical categories including assists (first), free throw percentage (first), steals (second), free throws (second), 3-point field goal percentage (fourth), 3-point field goals (fifth) and points (seventh). A two-time Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year, January earned honorable mention All-America recognition from the Associated Press and WBCA in 2009. During her four-year career the Sun Devils won 77 percent of their games (104-32), including 82 percent of their Pac-10 games (59-13), and qualified for the NCAA Tournament all four years, including two Elite Eight appearances (2007, '09).
The 2016 Olympic Games will be held Aug. 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro. A total of 12 nations will compete in the Olympic women’s basketball competition.