It’s been an eventful basketball career for Natasha Howard. This past summer, she helped lead the Indiana Fever to a deep playoff run and still showed that she could compete at the highest level. However, on Sunday, Howard was celebrated by having her jersey retired by the Florida State Seminoles.
When you think about Florida State Women’s Basketball, Natasha Howard is one of the names that instantly come to mind. In 2010, the Toledo, Ohio native found a home in Tallahassee, Florida, and asserted herself as one of the top players in college basketball. Seminoles head coach Sue Semrau saw a vision that Howard could take Florida State to another level. With that being said, her dominance was on full display as she led the program to multiple winning seasons.
Congratulations to @THoward_6 on her well deserved jersey retirement tonight!!! @FSUHoops @fsuwbb pic.twitter.com/bHbM9JAxYV
— Luke Loucks (@lukeloucks) November 17, 2025
What made Howard a great player was how interchangeable she was on the offensive end. She was a jack of all trades as she was a post player who could play nearly every position. Howard was terrific with her shot creation as she could put the ball on the floor and find ways to score. She was also great in transition and connected well with point guards like Brittany Brown, Courtney Ward, and others.
Howard came out of the gates strong her freshman year by averaging 10.6 points along with 6.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals. It was a season of experimentation as she was creating a feel for the college level and understanding the magnitude of what it took to win. Because of her productive season, Howard was named to the ACC All-Freshman team while also leading Florida State to the NCAA Tournament. While the team prepared for a deep tournament run, they unfortunately fell short against Georgia in the second round.
At that point, Natasha Howard was just getting started. Her freshman season was only an appetizer as she gained experience in competing against high-level players and teams. The ACC was a tough conference that featured contending teams like Duke, Miami, North Carolina, and others. Luckily, Howard’s production helped Florida State stay in the mix as one of the other contending teams in the conference. As she continued to grow as a player, her goal was to continue to help take the program to different heights.
Howard’s sophomore season was still productive despite the Seminoles finishing the season with a losing record. She was named third team All-ACC while continuing to display dominant performances. Unfortunately, the Seminoles couldn’t recapture the feeling of winning like they did during Howard’s freshman year. Luckily, coach Semrau went back to the drawing board and looked to make improvements during the 2012-13 season.
The Seminoles were placed on Natasha Howard’s shoulders at the start of her junior year. Her first two seasons were great preparation as she showed early signs of the player she could become in her later college career. At this point, the challenge was to place Florida State back in contention as a top 25 team in the country. Luckily, she didn’t disappoint as she displayed a phenomenal season.
Once again, the Seminoles were right back in the mix as one of the top contenders in the ACC. Led by Howard, the team was able to get off to a strong start by winning 12 of their first 13 games. During conference play, Howard displayed some top-notch performances. In a contest against Miami, she recorded 20 points and 9 rebounds while leading the way to a 21-point win. In another contest against North Carolina, she once again led the charge by recording 17 points and 10 rebounds in a huge home win.
Howard finished her junior year averaging 12.7 points and 7.5 rebounds. Her efforts were so impressive that she was named All-ACC First Team for the first time while leading the Seminoles to the NCAA Tournament. The unfortunate part was that they were once again dominated in the second round, this time by Baylor.
During Howard’s senior year, she was even better. In her last season, she knew that there was a lot to play for. One was leading the Seminoles to another winning season. Also, the 2014 WNBA Draft was around the corner, as she was projected to become a first-round pick. Howard continued to lead the charge for Florida State as her versatility was on full display. She continued to find different ways to score as well as be an anchor on the defensive end.
Once again, the Seminoles started off hot as they won 14 of their first 15 games on the season. During conference play, they still found ways to win and compete with the other top contenders in the ACC. A notable performance from Howard during her senior year was recording 28 points and 22 rebounds against Duke. Despite the Seminoles falling short, she still showed signs of dominance by scoring at a high level and crashing the glass.
Howard averaged a career-high 20.5 points along with. 9.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. It was a season where she increased her value on both ends and showed how she could take control of a game. Howard’s efforts led to the Seminoles having another winning season and another NCAA Tournament appearance. While they took care of business against Iowa State in the first round, Florida State fell short against Stanford, which marked the end of Howard’s illustrious college career.
It was a bittersweet moment for Natasha Howard as her collegiate career came to an end. However, she continued to represent the program by displaying a phenomenal WNBA career. Howard is currently a three-time WNBA Champion and a two-time All-Star during her career. She’s been in great positions where she could help her team succeed while shining as one of the best players in the WNBA.
Natasha Howard is a player who set the foundation of what it takes to be great at Florida State. It’s the continued growth and development she showed that took the program to another level. Howard displayed several performances and broke records to place her name next to Sue Galkantas, Brooke Wyckoff, and other great Florida State players. It’s well deserved that she’s honored by the school by having her jersey hanging in the rafters of the Donald L. Tucker Center.