Jann “JT” Thorpe grew up in Southern California with her mom and dad and two brothers.  She attended Newbury Park High School from 1991-1995. She was highly competitive and successful in both softball and basketball. In 95 Jann helped lead her basketball team to the State Championship game in which they ended up losing by 6 to Archbishop Mitty.

After High School Jann attended SSU. Jann played and started all 4 years for the SSU Cossacks. Jann had a highly successful career at SSU.  She was the school's first, and only, women's basketball All-American, Thorpe owns just about every career record you can think of at Sonoma State.  She is the school's all-time leader in scoring, rebounding, steals, field goal percentage, and double doubles.  Thorpe also ranks in the top ten in assists, blocked shots, and free throw percentage, and she is the only basketball player in school history to have her number retired.

The only basketball player, male or female, to have 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in an SSU uniform, Thorpe's career total of 1,172 rebounds is perhaps the most unbreakable record in school history.  She has almost twice as many rebounds as second place and she alone has recorded the top four single season rebounding seasons ever.  She also owns the top seven single game rebounding marks, including the school record of 26, set in January of her freshman season.

Her impact on the court was not only evident in her mind-boggling stats, but in the way she helped turn around the Cossack basketball team.  The team's winning total jumped from 8 to 16 to 20 to 23 in her four seasons and she led the squad to their first two NCAA Tournament appearances as a junior and senior.  With Thorpe at the lead, the '98-'99 team went 23-5 overall, the best record in SSU basketball history.

With her accomplishments came a flood of awards, including three conference player of the year awards, four all-conference selections, back-to-back All-Region honors, and her crowning achievement, an All-American nod in 1998-99.  She was also named SSU's Female Athlete of the Year in 1998 and 1999. Jann’s number 20 is the only women’s basketball number to be retired and hung up in Sonoma States gym. Thorpe was also inducted into Sonoma State’s class of 2003 Hall of Fame.

All while working hard on the court Jann also was working hard in the classroom. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. She has been a Physical Education teacher in Sonoma Valley School District for the past 20 years. The first 8 years Jann worked at Sonoma Valley High School and for the past 12 she has been working at Adele Harrison Middle School where she also is the athletic director. 

Jann has always had a passion to coach girls in basketball. She has coached at numerous schools, CYO teams, and camps throughout Sonoma County.  She has coached at Sonoma Valley High School for the past 18 years. She coached the JV basketball team at Sonoma Valley for the first 12 years and has been coaching the Varsity team the last 6 years. During the Fall season she coaches the 7th and 8th grade girls’ basketball teams at Adele Harrison and in the Spring, she coaches the middle school track team.

In Jann's free time she enjoys working out, walks, watching all sports, traveling to Hawaii, and spending time with her family.