Rhyne Howard named SEC Preseason Player of the Year
Kentucky was picked to finish second in the conference standings.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Kentucky junior Rhyne Howard has been named the SEC Preseason Player of the Year. This was voted on by league coaches.
Howard was also named to the preseason All-SEC team. Kentucky was picked to finish 2nd in the SEC.
Last season, Howard was named the 2020 SEC Player of the Year, and to the All-SEC First Team and SEC All-Defensive Team after her impressive sophomore season. The guard was named to the SEC All-Tournament Team and helped lead the Wildcats to the semifinals of the 2020 SEC Tournament.
SEC coaches followed suit in their preseason recognition of the Wildcats overall after the AP ranked Kentucky 11th in its preseason top 25 last week. The ranking for Kentucky is its highest since also being ranked No. 11 in the organization’s 2014-15 preseason listing.
Howard is the leading returner after a sensational sophomore season for Kentucky, leading the Wildcats and ranking second nationally with 23.4 points per game. The guard also led UK with 6.5 rebounds per game and 62 steals, while she was second on the team with 29 blocks and third on the team with 68 assists.
SEC Preseason Coaches' Predictions
Order of Finish
1. South Carolina
2. Kentucky
3. Texas A&M
4. Arkansas
5. Mississippi State
6. Tennessee
7. LSU
8. Alabama
9. Georgia
10. Missouri
11. Ole Miss
12. Florida
13. Vanderbilt
14. Auburn
Player of the Year
Rhyne Howard, Kentucky
First Team All-SEC
Chelsea Dungee, Arkansas
Unique Thompson, Auburn
Rhyne Howard, Kentucky
Khayla Pointer, LSU
Rickea Jackson, Mississippi State
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
Rennia Davis, Tennessee
N’dea Jones, Texas A&M
Second Team All-SEC
Jasmine Walker, Alabama
Destiny Slocum, Arkansas
Lavender Briggs, Florida
Shakira Austin, Ole Miss
Jessika Carter, Mississippi State
Aijha Blackwell, Missouri
Zia Cooke, South Carolina
Kayla Wells, Texas A&M
As you can see below, Howard has also been named to a number of other preseason watch lists.
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