Sydney Colson ready for new chance with Indiana Fever

Colson, a veteran who spent the last three seasons with the Las Vegas Aces, has been a popular teammate during most of her career. She joined the Fever this offseason as a free agent after the Fever made a strong pursuit.

Indiana wanted Colson to be a reserve guard and a key veteran. A new front office led by president of basketball operations Kelly Krauskopf and general manager Amber Cox prioritized fit and leadership this offseason — specifically making moves to acquire players with WNBA Finals experience. Colson, a two-time champion, fits the bill.

“You look at a player like Sydney Colson coming off what she’s been able to do in Vegas, dating back to her championship at Texas A&M, she’s a winner,” Cox told reporters. The GM has faith Colson can be the team’s backup point guard. “[She] knows how to win, knows how to play a role. So she was somebody we targeted really early.”

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Colson averaged 2.5 points and 1.0 assists per game in 31 appearances for the Aces last season. Clark played a ton for Indiana last year, playing 37+ minutes on 18 occasions. Mitchell, who also had ball handling responsibilities, did it eight times. Perhaps new head coach Stephanie White wants to reduce their workloads, but even if Colson is in the rotation as a backup guard, her role could be small.

Yet the Texas A&M product is still a fit for what the Fever need right now, both as a veteran and a steady hand. And Colson is excited by her new reality.

“A lot of things,” Colson told reporters when asked what made the Indiana Fever the right fit. “It was Amber [Cox] and Kelly [Krauskopf], (head coach) Stephanie [White], Kelsey [Mithcell] I played with [at] Athletes Unlimited for several years. Love Caitlin [Clark]’s game, love Aaliyah [Boston]’s game. It just made sense.”

Later, she was asked about her likely role.

“I think [it’s] similar to other places where I’ve been. I’m bringing veteran leadership, knowledge, energy, swinging the defensive momentum. Just being that person that’s dependable,” Colson said. “I’m going to always come in and do my job, and I’m going to be happy in my role, and I’ll thrive. Whether it’s eight minutes, if it’s 15 minutes, if it’s two minutes, I’m gonna play hard and get everybody involved, and I want to win.”

Colson was the 16th overall pick in 2011 and is about to start her 11th WNBA season. She’ll have some new teammates and coaches, and the latest news on them will be covered in the notebook below.

Briann January joins the coaching staff as an assistant

Briann January, a former WNBA All-Star and champion with the Fever in 2012, has joined White’s staff as an assistant coach. January played for White in Indiana during the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

After her playing days, the 14-year veteran entered the coaching ranks. She has been an assistant with Arizona State, the Connecticut Sun and the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League — so January has experience working with several kinds of players across the last few years.

“I’m so excited for the opportunity to come back to the city and the organization that drafted me. This is a place where I got to play and win for a decade of my career. It’s my second home,” January said in a release.

The former All-Defense level guard is a beloved figure within the Indiana Fever franchise. Her best playing days came for the Fever, and she has returned for various events since leaving the team. January was one of many players from the 2012 title team that came back for the 10-year celebration of the championship run — and she did so despite still being an active player with the Seattle Storm.

“My heart has been so happy since I touched down yesterday because this is a very special group and I love each and every one of them,” January shared that day. She’ll be an asset to White’s staff.

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Jillian Alleyne signs on for training camp

Jillian Alleyne, a two-year WNBA veteran, signed a training camp contract with the Indiana Fever in late March.

Alleyne, 30, last played for the Washington Mystics in 2021, and she was with the Minnesota Lynx before that. She’s averaged 0.6 points and 1.3 rebounds per game in her WNBA career so far and joins a training camp that the Fever hope will be competitive.

“Just looking for people who can come in here and compete,” Cox said of camp when discussing additions both via the draft and free agency. “We want to have a really competitive camp.”

Alleyne played at Oregon for four years collegiately and will be another frontcourt player for Indiana in training camp. Between signings and draft selections, the Fever currently project to have 15 players in training camp, which begins Sunday.

Aliyah Boston has fourth-year rookie contract option picked up

Aliyah Boston had the fourth year option in her rookie-scale contract exercised last week. It was a formality — Boston is a multi-time All-Star and a core part of the Fever’s future. But it is still noteworthy news as the Fever’s salary cap situation, like every team’s right now, is atypical compared to a normal WNBA year.

Boston’s option year comes with a protected cap hit of just under $95,000 in the 2026 season. The fact that it covers the 2026 campaign is noteworthy since most players didn’t sign deals that stretched beyond the current season due to ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations. But the Fever will have Boston and Clark under contract that year.

Boston has averaged 14.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game in her two years with the Fever.