On April 1, Briann January was returning to Tempe with her Sun Devil teammates after the ASU women’s basketball team was knocked out of the NCAA Tournament in the Elite Eight by eventual national champion Connecticut.

Exactly six months later, January is back in the Valley vying for a WNBA Championship.

Now a rookie guard for the Eastern Conference Champion Indiana Fever, January made her WNBA Finals debut on Tuesday against the Phoenix Mercury and finished with 11 points and seven assists in the Fever’s 120-116 overtime loss in Game One.

The State Press had the chance to sit down with January before the Fever’s practice on Wednesday to discuss her rookie season, her playoff experience thus far and what she misses about being a Sun Devil.

The State Press: Would you have ever expected that you would be in this position as a rookie?

Briann January: You always hope you’re going to end up in the Finals, and you always hope you’re coming away with a championship, but never. I can’t say never, because you do think it, but to actually be here is a totally different thing. It’s so exciting, just because I put in so much work with my teammates, and we’ve gone through so much just to get here. It’s an amazing feeling.

SP: What was the moment like when it clicked that the Fever had just won the Eastern Conference?

BJ: In our last game in Detroit, when the buzzer went off, it kind of took a second for me to realize, “Wait, we’re putting on caps and t-shirts right now. We won. Confetti’s coming down. We just won our Eastern Conference Championship.” It was pretty much one of the best times I’ve ever had. Going to watch [the Mercury-Sparks] game afterwards just to see who we’d be playing was exciting, because we won to play another day, and that’s what you want to do in the playoffs.

SP: Was there any part of you that was pulling for a Fever-Mercury Final to happen?

BJ: I tried to put that out of my mind. I know a lot of people that were pulling for this, and it just so happens that we’re back here and I’m back home in Arizona, and it’s a good time.

SP: What was it like walking out of the tunnel before making your Finals debut on Tuesday night?

BJ: It was like, “Here we go. Here goes another one.” You try to get in a routine where it doesn’t matter where you’re playing, who you’re playing [or] what the circumstances are. You’ve just got to go out there and play your game and stay focused. I think being on a team full of veterans has helped me with that, just keep me level-headed going into any situation.

SP: How nice is it to still get support from local fans, even though you’re now on the opposing team in this situation?

BJ: It’s so nice just to be here. We had our nice little Fever fans up there, and it’s good to look up in the crowd and people saying, “Hey, Bri!” and seeing familiar faces. That’s comforting, just because I know those people are out there cheering for me and have my back and are supporting me and have supported me forever. It’s nice to be here and be able to play in front of them and show them what I’m doing.

SP: What was it like being a part of the highest scoring game in WNBA history on Tuesday night?

BJ: It was crazy. That’s one of the things about the playoffs is [that] every possession is 100 percent. The lulls that usually occur in a game are taken out. It’s so intense every possession. We watched the first quarter again in the locker room [on Wednesday], and I was breathing deep watching it. It was just so up-and-down and getting into defense and scoring — it’s playoff basketball. That’s what you want to see, that’s what everyone’s worked so hard to do and that’s what type of games comes out of it.

SP: How strange is it to be here “on business” and to be doing things like staying in a hotel, when this is where you just lived for four years?

BJ: It’s been a struggle, just because I want to enjoy my time in Arizona. There’s so many people here that I want to see [and] so many people that I’ve missed just because I’ve been in Indiana. But at the same time, this opportunity only comes around every so often, and so you’ve got to buckle down and take care of business [and] make sure you’re focused. Everybody pretty much understands that and they know I’m here for basketball. They know I’ll be back in a couple weeks, so I can see them and we can do whatever we want. Right now, I’m just enjoying the moment of the playoffs and taking care of business.

SP: Have you had the chance to see any of the ASU coaches or your old teammates while you’ve been in town?

BJ: I went by campus [Wednesday and] saw the coaches, saw a couple of the teammates, and it was good. I needed that. Waking up [Wednesday] morning, I felt like I was hit by a bus — just sore and everything. Just getting my mood up and just talking to my coaches — Charli [Turner Thorne], Meg [Sanders] and Joe [Anders]—[was] great. [I] just got a few pep talks from them, saw a couple teammates. It kind of lifted me, which was what I needed.

SP: The last six months have been such a whirlwind for you. Does the NCAA Tournament feel like forever ago?

BJ: It does feel like forever, just because I’ve gone through such a transition in the WNBA. I don’t forget it; I remember every moment of the NCAA, but it does seem pretty far removed right now.

SP: What do you miss the most about ASU and Tempe?

BJ: The vibe. It’s just so relaxed and so chill, and it just brought a smile on my face coming on campus. There’s nothing like the college experience at ASU — I loved it. I miss those days, I miss my friends [and] I miss everything.

SP: How would you describe the growing process you’ve had to go through in your rookie season?

BJ: I’ve grown so much as a basketball player and as an individual.

That’s a tribute to the players on my team, just having so many veterans on my team to lead me and help me learn different aspects of the game.

It’s been amazing [and] I couldn’t have imagined going through this process without them. Having Tully Bevilaqua, Tamecka Dixon [and] Tameka Catchings in my ear every day, just trying to help me become a better basketball player, is priceless.

SP: What would it mean for you to win the WNBA title in your first season? Is that peaking too soon?

BJ: Not at all. This team deserves it. So many people on this team have been there from the jump and have put in so much work to get this organization to where it is right now. It would be awesome. I’ve kind of gone through my whole career without that huge championship, and I think now’s the chance for me to get it.

Reach the reporter at gina.mizell@asu.edu.