LEXINGTON, Ky. – One minute she’s leading the Kentucky women’s basketball team to a historic Southeastern Conference Tournament title and the next she’s being crowned the 2022 Associated Press WNBA Rookie of the Year.
Rhyne Howard, Draft Pick No. 1 of the 2022 WNBA Atlanta Dream has been selected as the league’s Rookie of the Month for four consecutive months – May through August – en route to being crowned the AP WNBA Rookie of the Year, it was announced Tuesday. . Her coach, Tanisha Wright, was also named AP WNBA Coach of the Year.
The Wildcat played in and started 34 games for the Dream, averaging 16.2 points per game, which is 11th most in the league, for a combined 552 points this season, which is 10th most in the league . Howard has added 4.5 rebounds per game, 2.8 assists per game, 1.4 steals per game and posted 26 blocks in 2022.
Last week, in Atlanta’s loss at Las Vegas, she broke Tamika Catchings’ record for most 3-point field goals made in a rookie season with 77. Just two games later, she finished the regular season with 85 three-pointers, including sinking five from long range in the season finale in New York.
Perhaps her best game of the season came early in her career and against Big Blue Nation, in Atlanta’s win at Indiana on May 15. Howard scored a season-high 33 points on 50.0 percent shooting from the field, including draining a trio of 3s, while also going 12-of-17 from the line. She added three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
During Howard’s rookie campaign, she accomplished many other accomplishments, including becoming the first rookie in league history to record four 3-point field goals and four blocks in their debut game, being named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week WNBA and AP Player of the Week. after her first week on the court in May, scored the most points in one quarter of any rookie in the league against Indiana on May 15 and was invited to compete in the WNBA All-Star Game and 3-point contest.
The WNBA is scheduled to release its league awards in late August.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
