Howard, Boston lead AP women’s All-America team
Rhyne Howard is rewriting the record books at Kentucky and she is only a junior.
Now the Wildcats star is the first player from the school to be honored as a preseason All-American by Associated Press. Howard was a unanimous choice by the 30-member national media panel on the team released Thursday.
She was joined on the five-player team by sophomore Aliyah Boston of South Carolina, who was also a unanimous pick. Seniors Dana Evans of Louisville, Aari McDonald of Arizona and Michaela Onyenwere of UCLA round out the squad.
Howard averaged 23.4 points last season and became the first player in school history to score 25 or more points in five straight games .
“Rhyne Howard was one of the best players in the nation last season and after seeing how hard she has worked this offseason and preseason, I have no doubt she’ll be in those same conversations this year,” Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell said. “What makes Rhyne so special is how she lifts everyone around her up. She is an exceptional person and player and very deserving to be Kentucky’s first AP Preseason All-American. I cannot wait to see what she has in store this season.”
As a freshman, Boston helped the Gamecocks win the SEC and earn their first
No. 1 ranking in the final poll oftheseason.Expectationsare highthisyearaswellforSouth Carolina, which this week earneditsfirstNo.1preseason ranking in the AP Top 25.
Boston, who averaged 12.5 points and 9.4 rebounds last season, spent a lot of her time during the pandemic working on her shot.
person is and what they are, what they potentially can do,” Auriemma said. “But it’s not indicative of anything.”
Some years, the top few players don’t turn out to be exceptional. Other times, they are that good (“Paige is, Christyn Williams was, is, and I’m sure Azzi will be,” Auriemma said).
Even if Auriemma has those sorts of players on his roster, that doesn’t guarantee an undefeated run to a national title. Just look at his stacked 2001 roster that fell short in the Final Four.
Still, Auriemma admits there’s a pretty good chance that by bringing in the top players in the country, particularly ones like Bueckers and Fudd who appear on track to become special, and surrounding them with multiple other exciting prospects, UConn will competing for and winning more championships.
“When we signed that class with Asjha [Jones], Tamika [Williams], Swin [Cash] and Sue [Bird] and everybody said, ‘That’s amazing.’ Well, we were amazing,” Auriemma said. “And when we signed Tina Charles and Maya Moore, ‘You guys are going to be amazing.’ Yeah, we were amazing. And when we signed Stewie and those guys, ‘You guys are going to be amazing.’ Yeah, we were amazing.
“So, yeah, there is a direct correlation. If you sign those guys, there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to be an amazing team for a couple of years. Yes, that is a great possibility. Our track record proves that.”
Alexa Philippou can be reached at aphilippou@ courant.com