Teammates say senior Florence Williams has always been heard from the sideline in her fours years at LSU.
Now, in the midst of a postseason run, Williams is finally making her voice heard on the court.
Typically used sparingly in her time at LSU, Williams broke onto the scene this February in LSU’s 90-64 win at Arkansas.
Coming off the bench, Williams pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds in 18 minutes of play in leading LSU to the win after being up by just six at the half.
“Our emphasis of the week was pursuing the ball,” Williams said. “I just made up my mind to go and get it. I thought about nothing but getting the ball.”
Since, Williams has proved vital to the success of the No. 2-ranked LSU women’s basketball squad.
Williams scored a career-high 16 points in LSU’s semifinal victory over Alabama last week in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
Despite any amount of playing time, coach Pokey Chatman said Williams brings a different type of energy to the team.
“Florence is the best cheerleader on this team,” Chatman said. “It didn’t matter if she played zero minutes or three minutes. We always hear Flo.”
According to junior Seimone Augustus, Williams does a lot for the team that does not show up in the box score.
“Flo is the one who brings the enthusiasm,” Augustus said. “Behind the scenes, she brings what we sometimes lack.”
Prior to her recent impact on the team, Williams had not played more than 15 minutes in any game.
According to Chatman it just took a few good practices to give Williams a chance on the court.
“She’s put together some great practices,” Chatman said. “She’s very versatile and has been able to help out with some matchups.”
In moving her role from cheerleader on the sideline to a contributor on the court, Williams has averaged 6.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in just over 18 minutes of play in the last five games.
“She’s done a good job of getting on the floor and doing what she needs to do,” junior guard Scholanda Hoston said. “She’s been huge in rebounding for us. She’s doing a real good job of being all over the glass.”
Hoston, who won a state championship with Williams at Edison High School in Miami, Fla., said Williams’ motivation from the sideline always proves helpful.
“She’s always been big in motivating,” Hoston said. “She does a good job of always knowing what’s going on. She can tell us what’s going on, and you can always hear Flo over anybody.”
With plans to graduate in May, Williams said she would like to move back to Miami to pursue a job in construction management, her current major. Yet teammates believe she will stick with basketball somewhere down the line.
“Flo will make a very good coach someday,” Hoston said. “She’s just good at it.”
And for a tough rebounder like Williams, handling coaching duties may come easy.
“I like coaching the men,” Williams said. “They say I’m a little rough around the edges, so I could rough and tough them up.”