When Kalynn Howard was an eighth-grader at Crestview Middle School, Covington head coach Katrisha Glass went to one of her games and watched Howard score all but two of her team’s points.
“I said to myself, ‘Man, we can’t lose her,'” Glass said. “I was worried Tipton-Rosemark or somebody would try and get her.”
Howard ended up attending Covington the next year and the rest, as they say, is history.
In front of family, friends, teammates and coaches last Wednesday afternoon in the CHS library, Howard signed a scholarship with Bethel University.
Howard averaged 14 points per game her final two seasons at Covington, 18.6 as a sophomore and 10.2 as a freshman. She led the Lady Chargers to the state tournament in 2021 and 2019.
“She sees the floor well and her handles are good,” Bethel coach Chris Nelson said. “We want to recruit winners and obviously going to the state they way they have is huge. We need a true point guard and she’s a true point guard, but she can score it, too. She scores off the bounce and she can shoot it. She has a presence on the court and has a lot of confidence with the way she carries herself on the court.”
Howard was recruited by UT-Martin and Christian Brothers University and considered both. Last month Nelson and Bethel entered the recruiting process and won her over pretty quickly.
“I just fell in love with Bethel when I went there,” Howard said. “I felt like he (Nelson) really wanted me and I was going to play when I got there.”
Glass said players and people like Howard don’t come along very often.
“They way that’s she able to see the floor as a point guard is great and her basketball IQ is off the chain,” Glass said. “She’s very smart on the court and off the court. She’s rare. You don’t get many like her … Nobody, and I mean nobody, was in the gym more than she was perfecting her craft. She was one I learned to love more than just a player, she’s my girl.”
Howard’s two seniors teammates, Felia Fayne and DaNiyasia Robinson, signed earlier in the week. Glass said it was the first time her entire senior class signed basketball scholarships.
“It’s special,” Howard said about signing the same week as Fayne and Robinson. “I’ve been with them since middle school and I love them.”
“It’s a testament to them and their parents,” Glass said. “I was just there to give them that extra push. It says a lot about our program. They’ve set the bar high for these younger girls.”
