Rhyne HowardWhile Rhyne Howard was not a McDonald's All-American or a top-10 recruit her senior season with the Bradley Central Bearettes, the reigning NCAA freshman of the year has been the ultimate gem from the recruiting class of 2018 so far.
The University of Kentucky standout helped USA Basketball's junior national team go 7-0 and pull out a 74-70 overtime victory over Australia to earn gold at the FIBA U19 World Cup on Sunday night in Bangkok, Thailand.
Howard was selected to the all-tournament team after leading Team USA in scoring throughout the week with 13.1 points per game and a lights-out 44.7% from long range.
The dynamic 6-foot-2 point guard hit a clutch 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter against Australia and drew a nose-breaking foul on defense that helped her team force overtime. She had 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots in the championship game.
The thrilling finish gives the United States eight gold medals in the U19 FIBA World Cups with an all-time record of 86-13. The 2019 team was directed by University of Louisville women's coach Jeff Walz.
"I will never forget the bonds I made with every single person on this trip," said Howard, who was the most valuable player of the FIBA U18 games in Mexico last summer. "We wanted the same goal and would run through a wall for each other."
Even with the trophies piling up for the former Tennessee Miss Basketball award winner, Howard keeps pushing herself to be the most complete player possible.
"I know every time I step on the court there is a target on my back," said Howard, who finished with 2,662 points in her prep career. "I just continue to try and get better. I want to keep my opponents guessing. I don't want to be a predictable player."
Kentucky made it to the Sweet 16 this past season with its first-team All-SEC star scoring 61 points in three NCAA tournament games. Howard set a conference record with eight SEC freshman of the week awards.
"I didn't think I would get noticed in college as quickly as I did," said Howard, who averaged 16.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.1 steals a game for the Wildcats. "I was just looking forward to helping Kentucky back to being a nationally renowned program and a winning one.
"This upcoming season I want to see if I can win player of the week as many times as I can. Most importantly, I just want to continue and lead my team to new heights."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.