Rhyne Howard invited to USA Women’s National Team Training Camp

Rhyne Howard’s rookie season in the WNBA might be over, but the young Atlanta Dream superstar continues to make headlines.

On Tuesday, shortly after she swept the league’s Rookie of the Month awards and was named the AP Rookie of the Year, Howard was then listed as one of 28 invitees to participate in the 2022 USA Women’s National Team Training Camp. She will train with the national team from Sept. 6-12 in Las Vegas in preparation for the 2022 FIBA World Cup in Sydney, Australia. The event will be headlined by the 2022 USA Basketball Showcase on Sept. 10 at the Cox Pavilion on UNLV’s campus.

The road to a fourth consecutive @FIBAWWC gold medal begins in 🎲 Las Vegas!

28 athletes have confirmed their spots for 🇺🇸 #USABWNT training camp ahead of the World Cup in Sydney, Australia.

— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 16, 2022

Howard will look to perform well enough in training camp in hopes of landing a final roster spot, which will be announced prior to the start of group play. The 2022 World Cup begins on Sept. 22 for Team USA. The Americans have won three consecutive gold medals at this event dating back to 2010.

The No. 1 overall pick in April’s WNBA Draft has more than lived up to expectations. In her first season as a pro, Howard averaged 16.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.6 steals and started all 34 games. She averaged 36.1% shooting from the field and 34.3% from three, with 2.5 made threes per game on 7.3 attempts. Last week, Howard broke Tamika Catchings’ 20-year-old record for most threes made by a rookie in a single season. Catchings made 76 back in 2002; Howard finished the year with 85.

Unfortunately, her rookie season came to an end on Sunday when Atlanta lost its final regular season game of the year, officially eliminating them from playoff contention. But it was an impressive rebuilding year for the franchise overall and Howard’s star is only going to get brighter.

2022 Women’s National Team Training Camp Participants

Ariel Atkins (Washington Mystics)
Shakira Austin (Washington Mystics; R)
Aliyah Boston (University of South Carolina)
Kahleah Cooper (Chicago Sky)
Elena Della Donne (Washington Mystics)
Diamond DeShields (Phoenix Mercury)
Allisha Gray (Dallas Wings)
Chelsea Gray (Las Vegas Aces)
Dearica Hamby (Las Vegas Aves)
Myisha Hines-Allen (Washington Mystics)
Natasha Howard (New York Liberty)
Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream; R)
Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty)
Brionna Jones (Connecticut Sun)
Betnijah Laney (New York Liberty)
Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm)
Kayla McBride (Minnesota Lynx)
Angel McCoughtry (unsigned)
Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings)
Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces)
Aerial Powers (Minnesota Lynx)
NaLyssa Smith (Indiana Fever; R)
Breanna Stewart (Seattle Storm)
Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut Sun)
Courtney Williams (Connecticut Sun)
A’Ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces)
Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces)