CLEVELAND, Tenn. - Please forgive Rhyne Howard if she never eats at McDonald's again.
It has nothing to do with what's on the menu. It has everything to do with a basketball game scheduled March 28 at Philips Arena in Atlanta.
That's when and where the 41st McDonald's High School All-American games will take place. The girls' game will be televised by ESPN2.
But Howard, a standout guard at Bradley Central who has signed with Kentucky, won't be participating. She was at home during the middle of this month when she found out the players who were chosen to compete in the game, and her name wasn't among them.
"My heart like dropped," Howard said. "I thought I should've made it, but I guess other people didn't think so."
There are still other awards for which Howard should be considered, most notably the TSSAA's Class AAA Miss Basketball. She was a finalist for it last season when Riverdale's Anastasia Hayes, now playing at Tennessee, was chosen the winner.
But if the news of the McDonald's neglect bothered Howard, Bradley coach Jason Reuter said it hasn't been easy to tell.
"She's still had the same demeanor," Reuter said. "She's a quiet person. Rhyne just shows up and goes about her work."
Perhaps that's what Howard has wanted people to see on the surface. But underneath, it seems evident there's been a little extra motivation since her perceived snub. Ask McMinn County's Lady Cherokees or East Hamilton's Lady Hurricanes.
Howard lit it up at McMinn County for a career-high 41 points last Friday against a team that was 11-4 coming in. Then she dropped 38 on the state's No. 5-ranked Class AAA team Tuesday, leaving the Lady 'Canes 19-3.
And Howard did her scoring damage on 28-of-35 shooting from the floor, with 13-of-18 marksmanship from 3-point distance. She also grabbed 10 rebounds in each game, totaled eight assists and chipped in with a few steals and blocks.
"I was just making a statement," Howard said. "Usually I'm kind of laid back. Now it means a lot more."
Bradley was ranked No. 1 in the first Associated Press state poll this season and is now 21-0 but sits at No. 2 behind Riverdale. Another motivating factor for Howard.
Additionally, future opponents should be aware she hasn't forgotten about last year's 55-49 home loss to Stewarts Creek in a state sectional that spoiled the Bearettes' undefeated season and prevented them from advancing to the state tournament.
"Losing that game is always in my mind, because we should've won it," Howard said. "We've asked ourselves, 'What can we do differently this year? What can we do better?'
"I know me and my teammates have been working hard since the offseason. It really is just about playing our game, and making the other team play our game."
Howard has played AAU basketball with Hamilton Heights teammates Jazmine Massengill and Elizabeth Balogun, both of whom were selected to play in the McDonald's game. She sent congratulatory texts to Tennessee-bound Massengill and Georgia Tech-bound Balogun.
Then the 6-footer went out and raised her scoring average from 18.3 to 20.4 points per game in the last week. She may also want the burger company's selection committee to know she additionally averages 7.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 4.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.
"I was upset she didn't make it, but I'm biased, so I'm not really the guy to ask," Reuter said. "But life will go on. If we go on to win a state championship and she wins Miss Basketball, she won't think twice about the McDonald's All-American game."
Echoed Howard: "If we win a state championship, I won't care about anything else."
Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow him on Twitter @KelleySmiddie.