Geno Has Nickname for Gabby Williams

Auriemma concedes that he never knows what he's going to get from the freshman.

Last month, coach Geno Auriemma explained that a reduction in Gabby Williams' minutes during the critical game against South Carolina had nothing to do with the freshman's performance, and a lot to do with the starters finding their rhythm.

Either way, Williams was only motivated by the perceived slight. On Saturday against Memphis, Williams scored 16 points and pulled 10 rebounds. But like most freshmen, the issue isn't talent, it's consistency. And this is what puzzles Auriemma.

Against South Florida on Monday, Williams played just nine minutes and finished 0-1 from the field with no points, on rebounds, two assists and two turnovers.

"I've started calling Gabby Williams 'Forest Gump,' " Auriemma said, via the Hartford Courant. "You know when he talks about how you never know what you're going to get in the box of chocolates? Well, I come to games saying, 'OK, let's see what the Gabby Williams show looks like today.' And you have no idea what it's going to look like. It's like this at practice sometimes, too. You never know when it is going to blow up or something completely different."

Williams knows she's a work in progress, but she uses that as motivation.

"I'm still not done proving myself to him," she said. "I feel like I still need to show him that I am consistent and reliable. And hopefully, he'll have that confidence in me if he perceives I have it in myself, which I do now."

If this sounds familiar, it should. Here's Williams after the South Carolina game last month.

"...All I can do is find a way to get him to trust me," she said at the time. "I understand you have to wait your time, make way for the experienced players. But at the same time, I'm not going to be satisfied to just sit on my butt and wait for it to happen. I'm going to do what's necessary to change it."

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