Atlanta Dream select Rhyne Howard with No. 1 pick in WNBA Draft

A lifelong dream has been fufilled.

On Monday night, Kentucky Women’s Basketball All-American Rhyne Howard was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft by the Atlanta Dream. The 6-foot-2 guard becomes the first player in program history drafted among the top two picks and just the third-ever to go within the first 10 selections. Howard will become the centerpiece of a rebuilding Dream franchise that has not posted a winning season since 2018.

“Rhyne is a versatile wing who can score the ball in a variety of ways,” said Dream general manager Dan Padover. “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 spent all four of her college seasons (2018-22) in Lexington and has been projected as an eventual top draft pick since her sophomore season. She came to Kentucky as a five-star recruit out of Cleveland, TN and quickly established herself as one of the most talented players in the country, winning multiple Freshman of the Year awards. 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.

Her versatility on both ends of the floor is what has made her such an appealing prospect over the years. Howard can score from all three areas of the floor, possesses insanely high-level basketball IQ, and capably defends several positions.

“Rhyne is uniquely prepared for the next level,” Indiana Fever interim GM Lin Dunn, who was previously an assistant coach at Kentucky, recently said. “I think there were a couple of players, two or three players in this draft that I think are going to have smooth transitions into the pros and are not only going to play, but they’re going to have an impact. And I think Rhyne Howard is one of those players. Any time you can play four positions — the one, two, three, four, and play them well — then you’re special.”

To close out her career at Kentucky, Howard was named to her third consecutive All-SEC First-Team before taking home SEC Tournament MVP honors in what was the school’s first conference tournament title since 1982. She currently ranks second in school history in regards to total points — both men’s and women’s — with 2,290 career points, trailing only Valerie Still in that category.

During her senior season at Kentucky, Howard averaged 20.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.3 blocks per outing across 31 total contests. In those 35.3 minutes per game, she shot 44.1 percent from the floor, 38.3 percent from distance, and 80.8 percent from the free-throw line. After being named a consensus All-American for the third consecutive year this past season, she became one of just nine players in history to earn three AP First-Team All-American appearances.

Go ahead and get your Rhyne Howard Dream jersey now, Big Blue Nation. The 2022 WNBA season begins on May 6.