Coaches and writers agree.
Kentucky guard Rhyne Howard made a sizable impact during her first season in Southeastern Conference women’s basketball.
The former Bradley Central High School standout was named Tuesday as the SEC freshman of the year as voted on by league coaches. The 6-foot-2 Howard also was named by The Associated Press as the league’s top newcomer.
Howard is the only NCAA Division I freshman player in the women’s game to amass 460 points, 60 made 3-point attempts, 60 steals and 70 assists this season.
“I’m grateful for today’s honors, but none of them could have been possible without my teammates,” Howard said. “We’ve been working hard since the summer to make this a special season, and these awards are proof of all of our hard work. We’ve had a good season so far, but we know there is still a lot ahead of us.
“I can’t wait to get back into action this weekend.”
The coaches named Howard to their eight-member first team, while the AP voted on five-member teams and placed her on the second team.
Howard has played in 29 of 30 games with 29 starts and leads Kentucky with 16.0 points and 6.7 rebounds a contest. Her 70 assists rank second on the Wildcats, who are No. 13 in this week’s AP poll.
“She’s a great teammate,” Wildcats coach Matthew Mitchell recently said of Howard. “Her teammates love her. Her coaches love her. She loves everybody else, so it’s really awesome having her here, and she’s making a great contribution.”
Last year as a Bradley Central senior, Howard averaged 21.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 5.2 steals on a Bearettes team that reached the Class AAA state semifinals. She was the recipient last June of the female athlete of the year at the Best of Preps banquet.
“I was lucky enough to make it to about six or seven games this year to see Rhyne play,” Bradley coach Jason Reuter said. “A lot of people asked if I thought she would do well, and I said, ‘I think she will do well immediately.’ Rhyne can play any position on the floor.”
Howard has helped Kentucky attain a 24-6 record that included an 11-5 mark in SEC play. She earned SEC freshman of the week a staggering eight times to set a conference record, breaking the mark of six set by current Missouri senior guard Sophie Cunningham in 2015-16.
The Wildcats are seeded fourth in the SEC tournament, which starts today in Greenville, South Carolina.
Mitchell and Mississippi State’s Vic Schaefer shared the honor of SEC coach of the year in a vote of their peers, while Schaefer was the AP coach of the year. MSU 6-7 senior center Teaira McCowan was named SEC player of the year on both fronts.
Mississippi State is 27-2 overall and the SEC tournament’s top seed after going 15-1 in league play.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.