Kentucky’s Rhyne Howard continues to make history in first WNBA season
It hasn’t taken Rhyne Howard long to make an impact at the professional level.
The former Kentucky star became the first Wildcat to be selected No. 1 overall in the WNBA Draft in April, and high expectations were placed on Howard as she joined the Atlanta Dream, a team that won only eight games last season.
So far, Howard has lived up to the hype.
Last weekend in Chicago marked the 2022 WNBA All-Star Game, for which Howard was the only rookie selected.
“This is just a great experience, and just a great opportunity to be a part of,” Howard told reporters during a media availability on Saturday. “So what it means to me, just that I’ve been working hard and that it’s coming to fruition.”
So far with the Atlanta Dream, Howard has started all 23 of the team’s games and has shot 37.4% from the field and 33.8% from three-point range. She is averaging 14.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game for the Dream, who already have more wins this season (10) than they did last season.
Howard, who became the first former Wildcat to take part in the WNBA All-Star Game, gave a good account of herself during the annual gathering of the WNBA’s best players.
Only Howard and Kelsey Plum (the former Washington star who plays for the Las Vegas Aces) took part in the three key events of All-Star Weekend: The skills contest, the three-point contest and the game itself.
“They asked me if I wanted to do it, I was like, ‘Sure, just put me in it,’” Howard said. “I feel like that’s just a part of All-Star Weekend is just having fun, and I feel like those events are.”
Howard reached the final round of the three-point contest and scored 13 points, recorded five rebounds and dished out four assists in about 15 minutes of playing time during Sunday’s All-Star Game.
Howard also appears to be in pole position to win the league’s Rookie of the Year award, something she said on draft night was a goal of hers.
As of Wednesday morning, Howard’s 14.7 points per game scoring average led all rookies, as well as all players on the Dream. It ranked 18th overall in the WNBA.
“She’s playing the same exact way she normally plays,” Atlanta Dream head coach Tanisha Wright told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about Howard earlier this year. “She is never hurried and knows where she’s able to get shots. The offense we run opens up the floor a bit for her.”
What’s it been like for Howard settling into her pro career in one of the biggest sports markets in the country?
“Atlanta is a really fun city and it’s super great. It’s a sports city, so all of our games are close to sold out or sold out. Just to be in there and be around that environment is just fun in itself,” Howard explained. “I think Atlanta is a great place for a rookie.”
