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Kentucky star Rhyne Howard makes history at 2022 WNBA Draft

Barkley-Truaxby:Barkley Truax•04/11/22•

BarkleyTruax

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Photo by Eddie Justice | UK Athletics

The queen has been crowned. Kentucky superstar Rhyne Howard made history Monday night after the Atlanta Dream selected her with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft, becoming the first Kentucky Women’s Basketball player to ever do so.

“Rhyne is a versatile wing who can score the ball in a variety of ways,” said Atlanta Dream general manager Dan Padover prior to the WNBA Draft. “Her athleticism and basketball IQ will be the backbone of her future success in this league. She’s a great kid from nearby and we think she will be a key piece for the future of this basketball team.”

Howard joined the Kentucky roster in 2018 as a five-star recruit out of Cleveland, Tennessee, quickly establishing herself as one of the most talented players in the country, winning multiple awards in her freshman season alone. Howard would eventually make over a dozen All-American teams, win a handful of Player of the Year awards, and score over 2,000 points as a Wildcat before her UK career came to an end in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

During Howard’s senior season, she averaged 20.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.3 blocks per outing across 31 games she appeared in. While averaging 35.3 minutes per game, Howard shot 44.1 percent from the floor, 38.3 percent from the 3-point line, and 80.8 percent from the free-throw line.

Howard was named to her third consecutive All-SEC First-Team before taking home SEC Tournament MVP honors in Kentucky’s first conference tournament title since 1982. She’ll also leave Lexington ranked second history in total points for both men’s and women’s with 2,290 career points, trailing only Kentucky Women’s Basketball legend Valerie Still.

After being named a consensus All-American for the third consecutive year this past season, she became one of just nine players in college basketball history to earn three AP First-Team All-American appearances and now, Howard will become the centerpiece of a rebuilding Dream franchise that has not posted a winning season since 2018.