LOOK: Rhyne Howard took her All-American snubs personally

(Via Twitter: @sportney_lyle)

Rhyne Howard is used to getting overlooked at this point and she continues to find clever ways to stick it to her haters.

Both ESPN and Sports Illustrated tabbed the two-time SEC Player of the Year as a member of the All-American Second-Team, as opposed to the First-Team roster which many believe she deserves. It was another slight against her long run of overachieving honors. Howard didn’t mince words when asked about the knock earlier in the week.

“I got a lot of thoughts about it, but we’re going to keep it cordial,” Howard said at the beginning of the week. “I definitely think it’s political. I am upset about it. I’m hurt about it.”

Luckily for Howard, the Associated Press rightfully named her to its All-American First-Team roster not long after while the Naismith Player of the Year Trophy listed her as one of four finalists for the award. But even still, it’s the snubs that stick with Howard the most, who has had a perpetual chip on her shoulder since she wasn’t named as a McDonald’s All-American all the way back in high school. A season ago, she was tabbed as an “Honorable Mention” by the WBCA for its All-American roster, her most notable “snub” to date.

Howard won’t soon forget about what ESPN and SI wrote about her–she still hasn’t forgotten what the WBCA did at the end of the 2019-20 season. ESPN argued that Howard’s scoring dipping nearly three points per game was the reasoning for her missing out on the First-Team, although they failed to mention how she has boosted her other statistics across the board. What makes the ESPN post even lazier was this sentence: “she likely won’t win the national player of the year award for which she was the favorite in the preseason”, even though the Naismith Trophy just announced that she is one of the four best players in the entire country.

But I digress.

Ahead of Kentucky’s 71-63 win against 13-seeded Idaho State in the opening round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament on Sunday, Howard was seen sporting a pair of Nike’s with the words “HONORABLE MENTION”, “Snubbed”, “Only a Scorer”, and “2nd Team All-American” scribbled across the back heels.

Rhyne Howard’s shoes for the NCAA Tournament @KentuckyWBB #ncaaw pic.twitter.com/cXfzITNMcq

— Courtney Lyle (@sportney_lyle) March 21, 2021

In the win over Idaho State, the junior guard posted 14 points, nine rebounds, and five assists on a 5-12 shooting clip in nearly 35 minutes of action. For someone as skilled as Howard, those numbers might actually be considered an “off” day. But on a national stage in a winner-goes-home scenario, it was exactly what her Wildcat teammates needed to secure the victory.

Howard’s head coach, Kyra Elzy, was all for her star player finding the extra motivation to perform well on the court.

“For me, whatever motivates you,” Elzy said after the win on Sunday. “I think she’s been consistent all year, she has proven why she is the best player. She was the SEC Player of the Year. When you have something to prove you have to use whatever motivates you and locks you in to achieve your goals. If that’s what motivates her, by all means, I’m here for it.”

Keep on forgetting about Howard and she’ll quickly remind you what you were missing.