One of the first fans to greet Rodney Williams after home basketball games is his 4-month-old daughter, Suriyah. So it was no surprise that Williams was holding Suriyah moments after last week's exhibition victory over Winona State.
No surprise, either, that when Williams turned his head, Gophers coach Tubby Smith sneaked up and grabbed the infant from her father's arms. It was a lighthearted scene, but Smith has been quick to remind Williams there is much more to fatherhood than playful moments.
"You're not just living and playing for yourself, now you're really going to have to take care [of your duties]," Smith said he told Williams, who joins his Gophers teammates against Western Kentucky on Thursday in the opening round of the Puerto Rico Tip-off. "In any relationship, when there is another child involved or a baby, you look at things a little bit different. So that's what I'm trying to help him understand and appreciate. And I see a real maturity."
When Williams learned his girlfriend was expecting last year, life abruptly changed. But he said having a daughter helped him grow up in ways he never anticipated.
"It'll be a lot of work, but I have a lot of people in my corner, so I feel like this is going to be an easier process for me," Williams said. "Any time I need more time to see my daughter, I just talk to Coach. He makes it happen for me."
Williams is a young man under pressure.
He's trying to balance life as a 19-year-old father, a Division I athlete and full-time student -- and the responsibilities that come with those charges. Accepting that responsibility isn't always a smooth process. Smith kept Williams out of the starting lineup in Monday's 76-69 victory over Siena to discipline him for violating team rules.
But the coach is confident Williams will adapt, both on and off the court. He said he wants Williams to develop into the kind of all-around defensive threat that Damian Johnson was for the Gophers last season.
