The blue and white team-issued Nikes squeaking across the wooden practice court look brand new, but that doesn’t mean that no one has worn them before.

This season, DePaul’s coaching staff features two former Blue Demons women’s basketball players — Ashton Millender and Jessica January. Millender, who is also the director of player development, is entering her third season with the team, while January is starting her first season on head coach Jill Pizzotti’s staff.

As players and teammates throughout the 2010s, the two collegiate stars combined for 270 on-court appearances. Millender’s 286 career made 3-pointers are the second most in program history, with January’s 554 career assists serving as the fifth most.

Part of a legendary women’s basketball run that saw four Big East tournament championships and six consecutive NCAA tournament appearances in seven years, the two former players carry a plethora of knowledge and experience, and they know exactly what it takes to be excellent at DePaul. 

Pizzotti, who was an assistant while Millender and January were on the team, will lean on their Blue Demon experiences as the current team looks to get back to the top of the Big East and return to the “DePaul ball” style of play that the coaches dominated in when they were student athletes. 

“We don’t have to envision or think about what success looks like here,” January said. “I think that helps in our coaching and how we interact with the players. … Relatability is so important in a lot of careers, but especially in this field.”

For a player at any level, it is unique to receive coaching and guidance from someone who was in your spot less than a decade ago. While much is still the same from when they played, a lot has changed at DePaul since they last left campus. 

“This whole upgrade in the facility is definitely different,” January said. “I didn’t have the chance to play at Wintrust.” 

The entire landscape of college sports has shifted as well, with women’s basketball being no exception. Outside of the notable changes with name, image and likeness rights and the sharing of revenue with athletes, the focus on student athlete well-being is a key difference between then and now. 

“The mental health part of things now is a little bit more serious than it was when we were playing,” Millender said. “We definitely have resources for that now. As a student athlete, I went through mental stuff, but I didn’t have the resources to know that I was going through it. It’s a good thing that they have that now because being a student athlete, Division 1 basketball, it gets tough.” 

There are certainly a lot of positives to having coaches that can relate so closely to their players and empathize with the common struggles they have faced. Rest assured, it is not a feature of this staff that came together by happenstance. 

“It was very intentional … to have (former players) on our staff who have been here,” Pizzotti said. “They know how we play and what that means everyday. They’re great on the court with our student athletes. They’re great when we meet with them in the office.”

The head coach is not the only person to notice how valuable Millender and January’s firsthand experiences can be throughout the season. 

“It’s easier to understand and to take criticism because they’ve been in our shoes and they know what it takes to be at the level that we want to be at,” graduate forward Michelle Ojo said. “It’s very exciting to have them as our coaches.”

“Just knowing that they’ve played and been through it is super comforting,” senior guard Kate Clarke said. “Sometimes you’ll have coaches that didn’t go on to play at this level, and they’ll say things where you’re like, ‘You just don’t get it.’ But they get it.”

As recently retired professional players, both Millender and January are also able to relate to players outside of the context of DePaul. In total, the two played professionally in eight different countries — places like Romania, Australia, Finland and México — and their post-college experiences have greatly impacted how they interact with their players.

“It’s huge to be able to have different perspectives, different experiences with people that are not like you and that are like you,” January said. “When you’re working with athletes and students that are different, you’re able to relate and create an experience for them that’s also comfortable.”

Despite their worldly experiences, Millender, a Glenwood, Illinois native, and January, a Richfield, Minnesota native, understand the significance of playing in a city like Chicago, especially for the locally-based players.

“I went to the Doug Bruno camps,” Millender said. “Back then, I was just a little kid going to camp. But the full circle moment brings me to tears sometimes because it’s crazy how the world works. … I’m super fortunate that I was able to come back. I think that says a lot about DePaul.”

Related stories:

• Jill Pizzotti’s DePaul squad balances new and old
• Milkshakes & Fast Breaks: DePaul’s dynamic duo
• A look into DePaul women’s basketball charge club