Kentucky suspends All-American Rhyne Howard shortly before season opener
The University of Kentucky’s 2020-21 women’s basketball season got off to a stunning start Wednesday when interim head coach Kyra Elzy announced that she had suspended two players, including national player of the year candidate Rhyne Howard.
Howard, the first preseason Associated Press All-American in UK women’s history, was suspended two games “for not upholding the standards of the program,” the school announced on Twitter about an hour before Wednesday’s 1 p.m. season-opening tip-off against Murray State.
Teammate Tatyana Wyatt, a senior who started 20 games for Kentucky last season, has been suspended three games for an unspecified violation of team rules.
In addition to missing Wednesday’s game against Murray State, Howard will have to sit out Sunday afternoon’s contest against Belmont in Memorial Coliseum. She will be eligible to make her season debut Dec. 3 at Kansas State in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge.
Wyatt will miss the Murray State, Belmont and Kansas State games and be eligible to return Dec. 6 when the 11th-ranked Wildcats host No. 16 Indiana.
A UK spokesperson confirmed to the Herald-Leader that the suspensions were not related.
Kentucky’s starters were senior forward KeKe McKinney, junior guard Blair Green, senior guard Chasity Patterson, sophomore guard Emma King and sophomore forward Dre’una Edwards.
This story was originally published November 25, 2020 at 12:50 PM.
