TALLAHASSEE - Even when she first began playing basketball at age 7, Florida State freshman guard Shante Williams would dribble relentlessly toward the hoop.
"I couldn't let them know I was scared," she said. "I couldn't show them any weakness."
The them? The boys in her Jacksonville neighborhood. She played against them six years. Even now when she gets a break from school and heads home, she joins in the guys' games.
"You go to the hole, they're going to knock you down," she said. "It made me the player I am today."
That's saying something.
Williams, 5 feet 7, has helped the Seminoles (14-14) earn a bid to the WNIT. They play South Alabama (22-6) tonight in the first round, with the winner advancing to meet either USF or Richmond.
She averages 10.7 points (second on the team), 5.4 assists (first), 5.3 rebounds (tied for second) and 2.2 steals (first), receiving all-freshman honors in the ACC.
"Shante is phenomenal," said Gail Goestenkors, the coach of No.1 ranked Duke. "You can tell she's a kid who loves big games ... and she takes great pride in making her team better."
Williams matched her career-high of 20 points to go with eight assists in FSU's 80-74 win against the Blue Devils on Feb.4. Duke's only other losses were to Texas and Tennessee.
"She has a swagger about her and that comes from that experience (playing) against the guys for so long," FSU coach Sue Semrau said. "I remember going to watch her play at the Boys & Girls Club, and she blended in. It wasn't like, "Oh, she's a girl.' She blended in. She does have that fearlessness."
She also has displayed a toughness, both physically and mentally. At times, dealing with the losses has been frustrating. She led Ribault High to a 143-3 record and four state titles. At times, dealing with the expectations heaped upon one of the most heralded FSU recruits ever (she was a two-time first-team All-American) can be demanding.
"A lot of people say, "You're going to turn things around,"' Williams said. "I say, "Just wait.' In a couple of years we will be one of the top programs."
Semrau, who had to briefly bench her budding star for minor team-rules infractions in December, gushes about the way Williams has come in and established herself as the floor leader.
"She had to do that with some seniors who aren't just four-year seniors, but are even older than that and have been around the block," she said. "To step in and lead them on the court, that shows how special she is. She's made them respect her and believe in her."
