‘A once-in-a-lifetime type of player’: Rhyne Howard’s UK career reaches its conclusion
Rhyne Howard’s coronation came two weeks before the end, and the two events couldn’t have been more different.
On March 6 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Howard took part in the championship moments she deserved as her record-breaking Kentucky women’s basketball career approached its final days.
There were trophies and tears, celebratory scenes as Howard cut down the nets after UK won its first Southeastern Conference Tournament title since 1982. She accepted her SEC Tournament MVP award on a temporary stage at midcourt with a smile and spoke postgame of the process of turning her senior season from flop to success.
That was how it was supposed to end for Howard in a UK uniform.
But Saturday evening’s atmosphere inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington stood as a stark contrast.
Howard’s senior season — and her collegiate career — came to a crashing halt with an NCAA Tournament first-round loss, 69-62, to Princeton.
The sixth-seeded Wildcats were thoroughly beaten by the 11th-seeded Tigers.
Kentucky never led after the first quarter. Princeton’s stifling switching defense held Kyra Elzy’s team to just 35.7% shooting from the field.
Howard — who spent several first-half minutes in the locker room being evaluated for a hip injury — was kept below her season scoring average.
In her final game as a Kentucky Wildcat, Howard posted the following stats: 17 points, eight rebounds, four fouls (including a technical foul), one assist, one turnover and a perfect 7-for-7 from the foul line.
On her last possession as a Kentucky player, Howard shot a contested three that didn’t come close to hitting the rim.
Howard stood rooted at the wing as Princeton celebrated a famous upset win, before being the first Kentucky player to leave the court and head for the locker room.
While her coronation as a champion didn’t follow the preferred chronology, Howard said she wouldn’t change anything about her four years at UK.
“It’s been fun. I don’t really look at the accomplishments or anything, it’s just the connections I’ve had with my teammates and my coaches,” Howard said postgame. “I wouldn’t change it for the world. I love all of them. I know that they gave their all for me today and this season.”
One of the most accomplished women’s college basketball players in history, Howard spoke more of relationships than accolades as her college career ended.
Seated next to her inside the Assembly Hall media room, junior forward Dre’una Edwards called Howard a sister and said she loved her.
Howard said it back.
As recently as one month ago Howard’s senior season seemed destined for an unsatisfactory end.
Then, a team meeting changed everything and spurred Kentucky to 10 straight wins, helping Howard earn the vindicating team success that had eluded her.
But significant NCAA Tournament success remains something Howard will never have at Kentucky.
UK never reached the Sweet 16 with Howard on the roster, twice losing in the second round and once in the first. The 2020 NCAA Tournament was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We don’t care what nobody has to say about us. We’re going to fight for each other,” Howard said of what the Cats displayed this season.
Saturday’s result meant that 10-game winning streak, and Howard’s college career, can now be referred to in the past tense.
With that being the case, what will Edwards miss the most about the woman she calls a sister?
“I’m going to miss her leadership on the court. Off the court, we’ve had some very fun times,” Edwards said, while exchanging a knowing glance toward Howard. “Rhyne is a very funny person, so I’m going to miss the jokes, the laughs. I’ll call you, though.”
Just minutes removed from Kentucky’s loss to Princeton, Howard was asked about the next step in her basketball career and life.
The WNBA Draft is April 11 in New York City. Howard will be a lottery pick, with the only real drama being if she will go No. 1 overall to the Washington Mystics or No. 2 overall to the Indiana Fever.
Howard isn’t looking that far ahead, at least not yet.
“I know it’s going to come quickly, but I’m just going to take some time to look back on everything that we’ve accomplished here and everything that I’ve done over these past four years and just take it all in for a minute,” Howard said.
Her head coach at Kentucky was more direct when it came to touting Howard as a WNBA prospect.
“Whoever is smart enough to draft her, they are going to have a talent and she is going to make people better,” Elzy said. “She’s competitive. Her basketball IQ is unbelievable. But it’s her versatility at the next level. She’s a 6-2 guard with a great frame. She can play multiple positions and I think in time she will be the face of the WNBA.”
But even with Elzy willing to look toward the future with regard to Howard’s pro career, that doesn’t mean she also won’t miss Howard in Lexington.
Like so many others, Elzy’s lingering memories of arguably the greatest women’s basketball player in UK history have little to do with her on-court exploits.
“She’s a once-in-a-lifetime type of player. She’s gifted. But more importantly, what she has done for Kentucky basketball,” Elzy said. “What I’m going to miss is the person. She’s very humble, kind-hearted. I’m going to miss her coming to the office and laying on the couch and trying to see what we’re going to do for practice. But she is a great person and that matters to us in our program.”
Rhyne Howard’s final Kentucky stats
Points: 2,290.
Scoring average: 20.1 points per game.
Field goals made: 790.
Rebounds: 789.
Assists: 334.
Three-pointers made: 284.
Double-doubles: 27.
Minutes: 3,763.
