‘Once-in-a-lifetime player’ Rhyne Howard headlines prospects at 2022 WNBA Draft

Rhyne Howard heads to the WNBA Draft on Monday as a potential No. 1 draft pick after ending her collegiate career at Kentucky as a two-time SEC player of the year and the program’s leading three-point shooter in history.

The 21-year-old Howard, who hails from Cleveland, Tenn., also tallied a career total 2,290 points – trailing only Valerie Still on UK’s all-time women’s scoring list – and she’s one of only nine players to become a three-time women’s AP First Team All-American. But according to Kentucky head coach Kyra Elzy, what makes the 6-2 guard such a prized player is her adaptability.

“Whoever is smart enough to draft her, they are going to have a talent and she is going to make people better,” Elzy said via Kentucky.com. “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.”

Howard recorded career averages of 20.1 points (20.5 in 31 games over the 2021-22 season), 6.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 33 minutes per game, but her senior season came to an abrupt halt at the 2022 NCAA Tournament, where sixth-seeded Kentucky suffered an upset loss in the first round to No. 11-seed Princeton, 69-62. But several notable stats will linger long after her final-game performance:

Undoubtedly, a career highlight came at this year’s SEC Tournament, where Howard scored 18 points in Kentucky’s win over eventual national champion South Carolina for its first conference championship title since 1982. Howard’s on-court exploits, however, are just part of what makes her such a great team member, according to Elzy.

“She’s a once-in-a-lifetime type of player. She’s gifted.