After two stellar seasons in the WNBA, Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard is adding “assistant coach” to her resume.
Howard, the No. 1 overall draft pick and WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2022, has agreed to join the coaching staff at Florida for the upcoming season.
Howard will serve as an assistant coach and the director of player personnel during the WNBA offseason, the program said in a release Monday.
“It has always been important to me that we surround our student-athletes with people who can help equip them with the skills necessary to succeed as professionals on and off the court,” Florida coach Kelly Rae Finley said in a statement. “Rhyne is humble, competitive, thoughtful, and driven. … She is living many of our student-athletes’ dreams. Her knowledge of the game combined with her ability to teach and connect with them on and off the court will elevate our program.”
The 23-year-old Howard is just 18 months and change removed from her college basketball days, when she starred for one of Florida’s SEC rivals, Kentucky. Howard was a two-time SEC Player of the Year and three-time All-American at Kentucky.
Howard does have ties to Florida, though. Her mother, Rhvonja “RJ” Avery, was a standout basketball player for the Gators.
“When you really think about it, everything is full circle. My mom was a Gator herself and I have been on this campus multiple times, but to actually be able to wear the orange and blue, I know it’s making her proud. I know it’s making everyone who thought I was originally going to be a Florida Gator proud,” Howard said in a statement.
“I always knew at some point that I would have the connection back with this school, and just to be here and to be loved and to feel how much of a family it is already just confirmed all that.”
In addition to her rookie accolades, Howard has been named an All-Star in both her WNBA seasons. She has averaged 16.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game in 73 career games (all starts) for the Dream.
–Field Level Media