First-time St. Thomas teammates Savannah McGowan and Jada Hood this season seem to be in an unofficial “arms” race for most tattoos on the team.
“We talk about it all the time that we want to go and get more tattoos together,” joked the 5’6” Hood from St. Paul.
“I got to thank the girls for just embracing me and my weirdness,” added the 6’2” McGowan from Plymouth.
Both confident Tommies took their own individual paths in their college basketball journeys before both becoming teammates this season.
Athena Award winner and four-time all-conference and all-stater at Robbinsdale Armstrong, where she scored over 1,000 points and grabbed over 1,000 rebounds, McGowan played at Illinois State for two seasons (2023-24, 2024-25) and appeared in 53 games. But she wanted to come home.
“I definitely miss being home,” admitted McGowan.
Hood, a Roseville Area graduate, played three seasons at Kilgore (TX) College, then one season each at Texas A&M Commerce and at Memphis’ Christian Brothers University, where she led the team in scoring.
“It was really just trying to decide the last place I really wanted to end up at,” Hood pointed out. “I really just wanted to be a part of a program where I felt I could trust my coaches … I wanted to be a part of a program where I knew I was going to be loved.”
Both she and McGowan are now playing for the coach that first recruited them in high school, St. Thomas HC Ruth Sinn.
“She [Sinn] immediately called me and said, ‘When can you come for a visit?’ I said yesterday,” said the guard, smiling.
Added McGowan of Sinn, “She is one of the few coaches in my life who truly understands me, gets my frustrations, knows how to calm me down, gets my energy, all my weirdness.”
The new Tommies both are starters this season, Hood at point guard and McGowan down low.
“Coach said she had all the belief in me, and it’s been like that since day one,” continued McGowan. “I wanted to show the world that I can play.”
“It’s just really exciting to be in a place where I can grow,” added Hood.
Also, it can’t be understated how important it is for both former local prep players to play in front of family, friends and others at home games.
“I love my family,” said Hood. “It means a lot to me that I can be a part of my family.”
“My parents are my biggest support system,” stressed McGowan. “I would see them twice, maybe three times a year at Illinois State. It was hard seeing everybody else’s parents be there. I was like, ‘Damn, I wish I could give my mom a hug. I wish I could give my dad a hug.”
With her criminal justice degree, Hood is now studying for a master’s certificate in data analytics. “I decided to get into that because I want to be a criminal profiler for the FBI someday. These are my plans right now,” she pointed out, adding that her immediate plan after the season is to seek an opportunity to play pro ball overseas.
“Right now, I’m a biology major,” declared the junior McGowan. “I either want to teach high school or I want to get a master’s in nursing, eventually get my doctorate. But my heart keeps telling me to teach, so I think I might do that more.”
As for her tattoos, it’s part and parcel for McGowan, along with her other guilty pleasures, she concluded. “My favorite show is “The Golden Girls” and my favorite drink is Diet Mountain Dew. It’s like my whole personality.”
Finally…
Minnesota’s Niamya Holloway last week was announced among the 36 campus student-athlete winners of the 2025-26 Big Ten Jackie Robinson Community & Impact Award. The conference uses the award to recognize student-athletes “who strive to have a positive impact within their community in addition to excellence in competition.”
Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.