Rhyne Howard to participate in USA women's national team camp, looking to qualify for Olympics

Ever since Rhyne Howard made her departure from Lexington for the 2022 WNBA Draft, she has become a busy, busy woman.

Whenever Howard isn’t making back-to-back All-Star Teams in the WNBA, she’s coaching as an assistant on the Florida women’s basketball staff. And now, she’ll be training for a spot on the USA women’s national team in preparation for the 2024 FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Of the 18 athletes selected to the training camp roster, only 12 will make the final cut for the tournament. Howard, who has already won three gold medals representing Team USA in the past, was one of 18 players named to the training camp roster on Monday.

The February 2024 🇺🇸 #USABWNT training camp roster is here!

18 athletes, including 11 Olympians, return to the national team for a three day camp in Brooklyn, NY. pic.twitter.com/elvlGuP5Fc

— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) January 22, 2024

Mini camp runs from Feb. 2-4. The qualifying tournament is set to begin on February 8th and end on February 11th in Antwerp, Belgium.

According to an official release, the minicamp roster is comprised of 18 athletes, 11 of whom were already former Olympians. Howard will have to compete against some of the best talent on the planet for a chance to represent the United States on a global stage. She won gold medals at the FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship in 2018, the FIBA Under-19 World Cup in 2019, and the FIBA AmeriCup in 2021.

If the USA national team goes on to win the qualifying tournament, they would then be on the hunt for their eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal. The dominance of the United States women’s national team dates all the way back to the 1996 Olympic games that took place on home soil in Atlanta. Another gold medal finish would give the USA 10 gold medals, extending their lead for the most in Olympic history.

Will Rhyne Howard have a shot at striving for the prestigious gold in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics? Only time will tell. The actual Olympics themselves run from July 26th to August 11th.