Two-time SEC Player of the Year Rhyne Howard of Kentucky was selected first overall in the 2022 WNBA draft, which took place in New York on Monday.
Howard, a three-time AP All-America First Team selection, averaged 20.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists as a senior.
Howard, who was the first Kentucky player to go No. 1 in the draft, will be close to home, having grown up about 90 minutes from Atlanta. The Dream traded up two spots last week to acquire the No. 1 pick from the Washington Mystics.
In each of the past three seasons, she was a finalist for the Dawn Staley Award as the nation’s top guard and the Cheryl Miller Award as the best small forward.
With the No. 2 overall pick, the Indiana Fever selected Baylor forward NaLyssa Smith. The two-time Big 12 Player of the Year was a finalist for the Naismith Women’s National Player of the Year after averaging 22.1 points and 11.5 rebounds.
Indiana Fever became the first team in the history of the WNBA draft to make four first-round selection in one night. Fever used the fourth pick to select forward Emily Engstler of Louisville.
Indiana used the sixth and 10th picks – its third and fourth selections of the first round – on guard Lexie Hull of Stanford and center Queen Egbo of Baylor.
With the third pick, the Mystics selected Shakira Austin of Ole Miss. A two-time All-America Honorable Mention, the center was a semifinalist for the Lisa Leslie Award as the nation’s best center each of the last two seasons.
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