MSU Lands One Of Nation’s Top Players In Anriel Howard
August 03, 2018 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. –Naismith Coach of the Year Vic Schaefer will have two of the top players in the country on his roster as graduate transfer Anriel Howard will join Teaira McCowan on the Mississippi State women's basketball team.
Howard joins the reigning SEC champion and back-to-back NCAA National Finalist Bulldogs following a stellar three seasons at Texas A&M, where she became the first Aggie to record 1,000-career rebounds with 1,002. She also recorded the program's top mark for career rebounding average with 9.8 per game.
"We are ecstatic to be adding Anriel and her family to our program and our university community here at Mississippi State," Schaefer said. "Anriel is one of the top players in the country and a proven veteran in the best conference in the nation, so to be able to add a player like her is really special. Her experience in our conference will be not only valuable to our team, but it will enable us to use her in a leadership role on and off the floor.
"Anriel is a difference player and a difference person. She will add so much to our university as well as the great state of Mississippi. We are fortunate and blessed to have Anriel as part of our Bulldog family. I know our fans will embrace her and love her in the coming season. She has always been a very difficult player to prepare for, and now it will be great to have her in the Mississippi State Maroon & White."
As a junior, the SEC Community Service Team selection notched TAMU's single-season rebounds record with 439, ninth-most in SEC history. She ended the year ranked seventh in NCAA Division I and second behind new teammate Teaira McCowan in the SEC with 12.2 rpg.
The addition of Howard gives MSU the top returning SEC players in career boards, as her 1,002 rebounds follows just behind McCowan's 1,015 boards.
The Atlanta, Ga., native averaged a double-double for the second-straight year in 2017-18, putting in 12.1 ppg on 42.9-percent shooting to go along with her 12.2 rpg. Her junior season was also her best at the free-throw line, where she converted her opportunities at a 75.2-percent clip.
"I am beyond excited to be joining the Mississippi State family," Howard said. "I really enjoyed my visit to StarkVegas, and the way the team, coaches and the Bulldog fans embraced the culture was very special. On and off the court I am excited to be part of the Mississippi State family.
"I was very impressed with how genuine and caring Coach Schaefer and his staff were. They laid out their vision for continuing to build the program and winning championships, and it was definitely a vision I could believe in. I am looking forward to joining my teammates and getting involved in the Mississippi State community. Praise the Lord and Go Dawgs!"
Howard claimed the Aggies' career double-doubles record with 32 in three seasons, including 20 last season as she led TAMU to the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight year. In 2017-18 she notched 10 or more points in 22 contests, grabbed 10-plus rebounds in 30 of the Aggies' 36 games, and recorded five 20-point, 10-rebound games.
She also extended her range to the 3-point line, hitting 12 3-pointers as a junior after making one over her first two seasons.
In the NCAA Tournament, Howard averaged 14.3 rpg, tied for the 10th-most in tournament history, as TAMU advanced to the Sweet 16.
As a sophomore in 2016-17, Howard became the first TAMU player since 1988-89 to average a season double-double, putting in 10.2 ppg to go with 10.4 rpg. Her rebounding average ranked third in the SEC, while her 354 boards ranked as second-most in Texas A&M history.
That 2016-17 campaign saw her record 13 double-doubles and pull down 10 or more rebounds in 10-straight games. She also earned the Miss Hustle Award after recording 18 double-digit scoring games and 23 outings with 10 or more rebounds.
She earned SEC Co-Player of the Week in that season after becoming the first SEC player since Candace Parker in 2008 to record 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals in a game.
Howard emerged onto the scene in the SEC quickly, garnering SEC All-Freshman Team laurels after averaging 6.5 rebounds, including leading all league freshmen with 103 rebounds against conference competition.
She moved into the starting lineup for 15 of the final 17 games of her rookie season, and she made a mark on the NCAA Tournament record books, grabbing a tournament-record 27 rebounds against Missouri State in the opening round. Howard topped the 2016 tournament with 20.0 rpg while averaging 8.5 ppg.
Howard prepped at Westlake High School, where she ranked as the nation's 16th-best wing player by ESPN HoopGurlz in the 2015 class.
The three-star recruit was named First Team All-Georgia three times, and she was an All-Metro Atlanta honoree by the Atlanta Tip-Off Club in both 2014 and 2015 after scoring over 2,000 points and grabbing over 1,000 rebounds in her prep career.
Howard averaged a double-double her final three prep seasons, including averaging 25.0 points and 17.0 rebounds in her senior campaign.
She also set Westlake's single-game scoring record with 44 points as s senior and claimed the single-game rebounding mark with 30 in her junior season.
Howard joins the reigning SEC champion and back-to-back NCAA National Finalist Bulldogs following a stellar three seasons at Texas A&M, where she became the first Aggie to record 1,000-career rebounds with 1,002. She also recorded the program's top mark for career rebounding average with 9.8 per game.
"We are ecstatic to be adding Anriel and her family to our program and our university community here at Mississippi State," Schaefer said. "Anriel is one of the top players in the country and a proven veteran in the best conference in the nation, so to be able to add a player like her is really special. Her experience in our conference will be not only valuable to our team, but it will enable us to use her in a leadership role on and off the floor.
"Anriel is a difference player and a difference person. She will add so much to our university as well as the great state of Mississippi. We are fortunate and blessed to have Anriel as part of our Bulldog family. I know our fans will embrace her and love her in the coming season. She has always been a very difficult player to prepare for, and now it will be great to have her in the Mississippi State Maroon & White."
As a junior, the SEC Community Service Team selection notched TAMU's single-season rebounds record with 439, ninth-most in SEC history. She ended the year ranked seventh in NCAA Division I and second behind new teammate Teaira McCowan in the SEC with 12.2 rpg.
The addition of Howard gives MSU the top returning SEC players in career boards, as her 1,002 rebounds follows just behind McCowan's 1,015 boards.
The Atlanta, Ga., native averaged a double-double for the second-straight year in 2017-18, putting in 12.1 ppg on 42.9-percent shooting to go along with her 12.2 rpg. Her junior season was also her best at the free-throw line, where she converted her opportunities at a 75.2-percent clip.
"I am beyond excited to be joining the Mississippi State family," Howard said. "I really enjoyed my visit to StarkVegas, and the way the team, coaches and the Bulldog fans embraced the culture was very special. On and off the court I am excited to be part of the Mississippi State family.
"I was very impressed with how genuine and caring Coach Schaefer and his staff were. They laid out their vision for continuing to build the program and winning championships, and it was definitely a vision I could believe in. I am looking forward to joining my teammates and getting involved in the Mississippi State community. Praise the Lord and Go Dawgs!"
Howard claimed the Aggies' career double-doubles record with 32 in three seasons, including 20 last season as she led TAMU to the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight year. In 2017-18 she notched 10 or more points in 22 contests, grabbed 10-plus rebounds in 30 of the Aggies' 36 games, and recorded five 20-point, 10-rebound games.
She also extended her range to the 3-point line, hitting 12 3-pointers as a junior after making one over her first two seasons.
In the NCAA Tournament, Howard averaged 14.3 rpg, tied for the 10th-most in tournament history, as TAMU advanced to the Sweet 16.
As a sophomore in 2016-17, Howard became the first TAMU player since 1988-89 to average a season double-double, putting in 10.2 ppg to go with 10.4 rpg. Her rebounding average ranked third in the SEC, while her 354 boards ranked as second-most in Texas A&M history.
That 2016-17 campaign saw her record 13 double-doubles and pull down 10 or more rebounds in 10-straight games. She also earned the Miss Hustle Award after recording 18 double-digit scoring games and 23 outings with 10 or more rebounds.
She earned SEC Co-Player of the Week in that season after becoming the first SEC player since Candace Parker in 2008 to record 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals in a game.
Howard emerged onto the scene in the SEC quickly, garnering SEC All-Freshman Team laurels after averaging 6.5 rebounds, including leading all league freshmen with 103 rebounds against conference competition.
She moved into the starting lineup for 15 of the final 17 games of her rookie season, and she made a mark on the NCAA Tournament record books, grabbing a tournament-record 27 rebounds against Missouri State in the opening round. Howard topped the 2016 tournament with 20.0 rpg while averaging 8.5 ppg.
Howard prepped at Westlake High School, where she ranked as the nation's 16th-best wing player by ESPN HoopGurlz in the 2015 class.
The three-star recruit was named First Team All-Georgia three times, and she was an All-Metro Atlanta honoree by the Atlanta Tip-Off Club in both 2014 and 2015 after scoring over 2,000 points and grabbing over 1,000 rebounds in her prep career.
Howard averaged a double-double her final three prep seasons, including averaging 25.0 points and 17.0 rebounds in her senior campaign.
She also set Westlake's single-game scoring record with 44 points as s senior and claimed the single-game rebounding mark with 30 in her junior season.
Players Mentioned
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