Rhyne Howard has proved that former coach Matthew Mitchell was right about how special she could be

Rhyne Howard cried during an interview on ESPN after UK won the SEC Tournament title Sunday. (Vicky Graff Photo)

He’s been lucky enough to watch almost each of the 113 games Rhyne Howard has played at Kentucky but Evan Crane still remembers the first time he heard former University of Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell talk about her.

“Every coach says they have signed the greatest player ever. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard that,” said Crane, associate director for athletics communications and public relations at UK, said. “Matthew said she was one of the best players he had ever signed and I am sure I just kind of rolled my eyes.”

Then Crane watched UK play two exhibition games in Italy without the freshman guard because she was in Mexico playing for USA basketball. Howard got to Italy for games three and four.

“Everyone in the gym just kind of lit up when she played. It was not just how talented she was but how much better she made everyone around her,” Crane said. “She busted on the national scene her sophomore year when she had back-to-back games of 40 points at Alabama and 37 at Tennessee. Both were on national TV and she blew up across the country.

“She came in kind of quiet and shy. Then this humble little girl turned into a confident young woman and a great, great player.”

Howard had 18 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks Sunday in UK’s SEC Tournament championship win over No. 1 South Carolina. She was named tourney MVP, the first UK player to win that honor since Valerie Still did in 1982. She had the third-most points (88) ever by a player in the tourney.

Howard has scored 2,273 career points going into NCAA Tournament play, the second-most ever at UK and 17th on the SEC all-time scoring list. She has led UK in scoring in 72 of the 113 games she has played and has had 10 games with 30 or more points.

Crane has two special memories of Howard who have nothing to do with her success on the court.

First, Crane says his 4-year-old daughter “thinks she hung the moon” and is always interacting with the UK star.

“A lot of players here have not even known my daughter’s name,” Crane said. “But Rhyne has been so open to her and has just soaked in the family atmosphere here. Not every great player would do that.”

Kentucky went through a stretch from Jan. 9 to Feb. 10 where it lost eight of nine games and played with as few as six scholarship players in some games. Now UK has won 10 in a row to improve its overall mark to 19-11 going into NCAA Tournament play.

“During our rough stretch, it would have been very easy for Rhyne to refuse to do media (interviews). That has never happened,” Crane said. “The kid cries after losses because she wants it so bad. That’s something people do not see. But even in tears after losses, she will do media. She knows even during the tough times, she had to come out and speak for the team.

“She never wavered in her belief in this team. She never questioned what was going on. She never thought of anything other than go to the NCAA. She decided she had to figure it out and she put the team on her back. The last eight to 10 games she has been crashing the boards, all over the court defensively, and just played at a different level. It was very special to see.”

Her whole career has been special — two-time SEC Player of the Year, two-time Associated Press first-team All-American, national freshman of the year, national player of the year finalist.

Soon she could become the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft. Howard had the option to put her name into the draft last year but wanted to finish her education and play another year for Kentucky.

“It would be unbelievable for the program if she is the No. 1 pick. This kid was not a McDonald’s All-American. People nationally did not want to give her any credit,” Crane said. “For her to be a No. 1 or No. 2 pick would be significant for our program. It would show the development you get at Kentucky.

“She has always said she has no regrets about being at Kentucky instead of a school where she might have won more games. She has always said no other school compared to the love and attention she got here at Kentucky. She knew that was something special.”

Just like she has been at Kentucky.