Sports OSCAR TSHIEBWE MAKES HISTORY AS NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
HOWARD IS KENTUCKY’S FIRST WNBA DRAFT NO. 1 PICK
In more than 100 years as a program, the Kentucky men’s basketball team had never had a unanimous national player of the year until now. Forward Oscar Tshiebwe was awarded the Wooden Award in April to make a sweep of all of the major nationally recognized honors. The Wooden award was the sixth of the NCAA-recognized electors for national player of the year. In addition, Tshiebwe collected the top honor from The Sporting News, the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the Associated Press, the United States Basketball Writers Association and the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. Since 1977 when all six began being awarded in every season, 28 players have swept the honors. Tshiebwe is the second player coached by John Calipari to earn that distinction, also joining Marcus Camby of UMass in 1996. In addition to becoming the first player in program history to achieve the feat, he is the first player in Southeastern Conference history to win all six awards in the same season. Kentucky’s Anthony Davis is the only winner in program history. He claimed the honor in 2012 after helping lead Kentucky to its eighth national championship in program history. Tshiebwe not only averaged a double-double but did so with a considerable margin — averaging a team-best 17.4 points and a nation-leading 15.1 rebounds per game. He is the first Division I player who averaged at least 15.0 points and at least 15.0 rebounds per game since Drake’s Lewis Lloyd and Alcorn State’s Larry Smith each did during the 19791980 season. Tshiebwe ended the season becoming only the second Wildcat since 1978-1979 to finish the season leading the team in points per game (17.4), rebounds per game (15.1), steals per game (1.8), blocks per game (1.6) and field-goal percentage with a minimum of 100 attempts (60.6%). Davis was the other to achieve the feat. ■
Rhyne Howard, the most decorated player in Kentucky women’s basketball history, added another milestone when she was selected first overall at the 2022 WNBA Draft by the Atlanta Dream. Howard made history at the draft, becoming the first Kentucky women’s basketball player ever to be selected first overall. The native of Cleveland, Tennessee, becomes the seventh player in program history to be selected in the WNBA Draft and the first since Evelyn Akhator and Makayla Epps were both selected in 2017. Akhator was previously the highest draft pick in school history at third overall. Howard, Akhator, A’dia Mathies and Victoria Dunlap are the only first-round picks in program history. Howard’s accomplishment makes Kentucky only the 16th program to produce a No. 1 WNBA Draft selection and one of only five schools in the league to produce such a player. Howard becomes the seventh player in Southeastern Conference history to be selected first overall, joining Dena Head (1997 - Tennessee), Chamique Holdsclaw (1999 - Tennessee), LaToya Thomas (2003 - Mississippi State), Seimone Augustus (2006 - LSU), Candace Parker (2008 Tennessee) and Aja Wilson (2018 South Carolina). Howard’s fulfilled dream of being a No. 1 pick bookends a historic collegiate career. The guard became the only player in program history to receive multiple first-team All-America honors from multiple organizations along with being the only UK WBB player to earn four first-team All-SEC honors. This season alone, Howard earned first-team All-America honors from the Senior CLASS Award, Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, The Associated Press, Wooden Award and United States Basketball Writers Association. Howard has been a finalist for nearly every major national player of the year award each of the last three seasons. ■
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K E N TUCKY A LU MN I MAG A ZIN E Summer 2022
Photos by Elliott Hess and Eddie Justice, UK Athletics
