Favored by many experts to be the No. 1 pick of the 2022 WNBA draft, former Bradley Central High School superstar Rhyne Howard continues to deliver on basketball's big stages.
For the third time in as many opportunities, the 6-foot-2 Howard led the red, white and blue to a gold medal. This time the smooth shooter from Cleveland, Tennessee, who is entering her senior season at the University of Kentucky, helped the United States win the championship at the FIBA Women's AmeriCup, a biennial tournament between national teams from the Americas and the Caribbean.
The back-to-back women's basketball player of the year for the Southeastern Conference scored 12 points in the first quarter of Sunday's title game against host Puerto Rico, and Howard finished the 74-59 victory with 22 points - including four 3-pointers - five assists, two steals and a block.
The United States won the event for the fourth time overall and for the second straight edition, but this time a roster guided by South Carolina coach Dawn Staley was filled with college talent instead of WNBA stars - who historically had played in the event when held on schedule in September.
"From the jump, our team coaches told us we were going to be in for a challenge because we were playing grown women," Howard told the Times Free Press. "We were playing against other countries' Olympic teams. We knew we were going to have to be physical. But USA is expected to win. So that's what we set out to do and accomplished that. Winning gold in San Juan was an amazing experience for us all."
Howard has excelled on the world stage as she has also won gold medals in Mexico and Thailand playing for her country's U18 and U19 teams. She has twice won MVP honors, and the one time she didn't, Howard led her team in scoring.
She dreams of one day playing in the Olympics and winning even more gold medals, an opportunity that could come as soon as 2024 in Paris. Los Angeles will host in 2028.
"Playing for your country is one of the greatest honors in all of sports," said Howard, who hit five 3-pointers as she scored 17 points in a win against Venezuela to help the United States go 6-0 in the AmeriCup. "I am excited to watch the Summer Olympics in Tokyo this summer and hope one day I, too, can play on that level. I am excited for my senior year. I think the speed and physicality we played with here in Puerto Rico will help me be even better for the coming season."
During a high school career in which Gatorade honored her as Tennessee's top girls' basketball player, Howard helped coach Jason Reuter's Bearettes keep up their tradition of success. In a 13-game stretch after not being selected as a McDonald's All American, Howard averaged 29.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 6.4 steals, 4.6 assists, 3.8 3-pointers and one block per game.
Howard has averaged 19.9 points per game in her collegiate career with the Wildcats, scoring 25 or more points in 26 games. Her career high of 43 points was against Alabama during a two-game stretch when she hit 14 3-pointers, and it was part of a sophomore season in which she averaged 23.4 points. Last season she set career highs with 7.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game while averaging 20.7 points.
With another season to add to her legacy in Lexington as one of the best players in program history, the two-time Associated Press All-American with 1,655 career points is expected to be in the national spotlight even more very soon, and she's excited about what's happening in women's pro basketball as she gets closer to beginning her career at that level.
"The WNBA is growing, and it's been really cool to see the game get more media attention of late," Howard said. "Women collegiate players are getting a lot of hype, too, because of media platforms like Overtime, Ball is Life and Pass the Ball. The WNBA is starting to get more and more viewers, and there are a lot of good and fun times ahead.
"The game continues to grow every day, and it's only going to get better."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.