Seven years later Jada Hood is still chasing the dream

Several summers of AAU, four or five years of high school and four years at the next level. That's a normal women's basketball career. Not for Jada Hood. For seven seasons now – yes seven! – Hood has been grinding away at the next level. “How old are you now?” I asked Jada on Saturday afternoon in St. Paul. “I knew you were going to ask me that question,” the University of St. Thomas point guard said with a chuckle. “I'm 24!”

Yep, 24 and having the time of her life.

The Roseville Area High School graduate shot lights out Saturday against Drake University, going 8-for-14 from the field, 5-of-10 from three-point range for 22 points along with 8 rebounds. 5 assists and 2 steals in 36 minutes of action. The Tommies put on a clinic en route to a 70-50 win, their fifth victory in a row. It was exactly the sort of performance St. Thomas coach Ruth Sinn was looking for when she signed Hood as a graduate transfer. “One of the things that all of the girls talk about with Jada is her voice,” said Sinn. “Jada has presence, she's got joy, she's got energy. That's what we needed.”

I've known Jada since middle school, watched her closely during the Roseville years, and always admired her toughness on the floor. She's gritty. She's physical. She's loud. And she's not going to take crap from anyone. Although St. Thomas has probably exceeded expectations since transitioning to Division 1, they haven't played with much sandpaper.

Over the summer Coach Sinn knew her team would be young this year, and the returners weren't exactly going to beat anybody up. She desperately needed an experienced point guard with some toughness. When Sinn learned that Hood was in the transfer portal, she was intrigued. We talk regularly about prospects, both high school kids and potential transfers. “What do you think of Jada Hood?” Ruth asked me one day. My response was predictable. “Jada Hood? Is she still playing?”

“I just love basketball”

Hood graduated from Roseville in 2019, the same season her UST teammate Autumn McCall was in 6th grade. As far as we can tell, the 5'6 guard is the last member of the Prep Girls Hoops Minnesota Class of 2019 still playing in college. Others in the class have earned their degrees and moved on. Jordan Zrust is the head coach at Buffalo High School. Joey Batt won a D2 national championship at MSU-Mankato and is now an elementary school teacher. Hood's Suburban East Conference rivals Sara Scalia and Frannie Hottinger are playing pro ball in Europe. After a hall-of-fame level career at Colorado State, McKenna Hofschild is a graduate assistant at UConn. The 2019 Miss Basketball winner Kacie Borowicz is an artist in Northern Minnesota. Taytum Rhoades is Assistant Commissioner of the Northern Sun Conference.

Hood started out at Kilgore Junior College. Stops at East Texas A&M and Christian Brothers University in Memphis are on her resume, as well. She had a redshirt season for a torn ACL, an extra year for COVID, and a bonus year courtesy of the JUCO lawsuit that offered some players one more season of eligibility. I asked Jada why she's still playing. “I just love basketball," she said. "It's been something that I've enjoyed. It's just a joy and I can't let it go.” 

The one game in Jada's high school career that sticks out in my memory is the 2018 section final against Park Center that put Roseville into the State Tournament after years of disappointment. The gym was packed and raucous with some serious tension on the floor. Everyone knew then-coach Jeff Crosby's Raiders excelled by punishing opponents with a healthy dose of black and blue. Hood was the flashiest player on the team but she could lock it down on defense with the best of them. Roseville put on a defensive clinic in the second half, and Jada made five free throws in the final 75 seconds to close the deal.

Settling in at UST

There were some growing pains in the early weeks of the season for St. Thomas. They really struggled defensively and often seemed disjointed. It took time to implement a new offense. Hood had to stop forcing things and let the game come to her more. Saturday's performance against Drake was arguably the Tommies best of the season. Hood was at her best. “I'm just really grateful for my coaches and my teammates who have poured into me to allow me to play this type of game,” Jada said. “The great thing about our group is it's not just one person. Teams have to worry about all of us.”

Sinn was equally pleased.

“I think we're finally getting to the point where we can get stops and the way we can run the floor is at another level,” Sinn said. “Over the last 30 days we have become a completely different team. We understand our system, we understand how to play off each other, and we understand how to complement each other. So much of execution is just patience and learning what you can do and what you can't do.”

Hood has started every game for the Tommies. She's fourth in scoring, second in assists and steals, and third in rebounds while shooting 39% from three. On Saturday, Hood and company were flying around the court at both ends. The Tommies had 42 rebounds, 11 steals, 7 blocks and 18 second-chance points. They held Drake to under 30% from the field, just 20% from three. The Tommies were 15-for-28 from the field in the first half as they forged a 26-point lead.

“I'm blessed to be able to play at all different levels, you know, being at JUCO and then D1 and D2 and then D1 again,” Hood said. “Honestly, it's just been a huge pleasure to be here, especially because I've grown so much.”