Former Kentucky stars Leah Edmond and Rhyne Howard still connected to Atlanta

Despite being several years removed from their time in Lexington, Rhyne Howard and Leah Edmond, two former Kentucky superstar athletes, found a way to stay in touch: through their respective professional sports in Atlanta, GA.

Howard, the Kentucky Women’s Basketball alum, made waves as a ‘Cat and was the No. 1 pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft for the Atlanta Dream. At Kentucky, she averaged 20.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game over four seasons. Howard also scored 334 assists and led his team in statistics his junior and senior seasons.

Now, the former Wildcat has turned his attention to the Florida Gators as an assistant coach and director of player personnel. On Wednesday, the leader played the opening match of her third season on the Dream. In the team’s win over the Los Angeles Sparks, Howard added a team-high 25 points, three rebounds and three assists. The former ‘Cat added two steals and two blocks.

As for Edmond, the outside hitter played for the Cats from 2016 to 2019. With 1,978 career wins, she earned the title of Kentucky’s all-time wins record holder. Edmond led his team to three consecutive SEC championships.

In 2021, Edmond played for Valencianas de Juncos (Puerto Rico) to begin his professional career before joining Athletes Unlimited later that year until 2023. Now, the former college athlete plays on Pro Volleyball’s Atlanta Vibe Federation. In his first season, Edmond racked up 381 kills, leading to the PVF semifinals last Wednesday. As the Vibe fell 2-3 to the Grand Rapids Rise, Edmond contributed 15 points on 13 kills and two service aces.

Howard’s team, the Atlanta Dream, made sure to wish the Vibe good luck in their upcoming semifinal match on Twitter. The team tweeted out a graphic featuring just Howard and Edmond, confirming the fact that Big Blue Blood is deep.