Ryan Francis
Encyclopedia
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
player. At the time of his death, he was the starting point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
for the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
Trojans
USC Trojans Basketball
The University of Southern California Trojans men's basketball program is the college basketball team that competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and represents the University of Southern California on the court.The program began playing...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team.
College career
As a freshman, Francis was the starting point guardPoint guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
during the 2005-2006 season for the USC Trojans and averaged 7.1 points, 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He ranked seventh in the Pac-10 Conference
Pacific Ten Conference
The Pacific-12 Conference is a college athletic conference that operates in the Western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I; its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of NCAA Division I football competition...
in assists and fifth in steals. His jersey number was 12. After basketball he planned to enter coaching or work with computers.
High school career
Francis was a standout at Glen Oaks High School in Baton RougeBaton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. He averaged 22 points and five assists per game in his senior year and led his team to a perfect 36-0 record and the Class 4A state title in 2005. Francis also won the MVP award for the state championship game and was named the 2005 Louisiana Class 4A Outstanding Player.
Murder
Francis was shot and killed about 3:30 a.m. May 13, 2006 while riding in a car in his hometown of Baton RougeBaton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
. As the vehicle pulled up to a stop light, the driver of another vehicle got out and opened fire http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2443805. The shooter was identified as D'Anthony Norman Ford, also 19. According to the police report, Ford was driving an SUV and pulled in front of the car carrying Francis after recognizing the car's driver as someone he had been involved in a dispute with earlier that night, Francis was sitting in the backseat where he was shot multiple times; the two other occupants of the car identified Ford in a police line-up.
Being Honored
Francis' funeral was held on May 20, 2006 at Greater King David Baptist Church, North Location in Baton Rouge, he was buried in nearby Southern Memorial Gardens. Coach Tim FloydTim Floyd
Tim Floyd is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach of the University of Texas at El Paso Miners men's basketball team. He is also a former head coach of several teams in both the NCAA and the NBA, most recently the University of Southern California men's college...
and the USC Basketball team flew in to attend. NCAA rules permitted USC to pay for both the entire funeral expenses and the team's travel to Louisiana. USC established the The Ryan Francis Endowed Scholarship in honor of Francis.
For the 2006-2007 season, the Trojans Men's Basketball team wore black #12 on their jerseys in honor of their fallen teammate. USC announced they would pay a tribute to Ryan Francis in a basketball game on March 17, 2007. That day would have been Ryan's 20th birthday. As it happens, March 17th, a Saturday ended up being during the post-season tournament period in college basketball. Defying pre-season expectations, the USC basketball made it to the 2007 NCAA Basketball Tournament
2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 NCAA schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2006–07 basketball season...
, placed where its first game was on Friday, March 16. Honoring a promise to the memory of her son, Paulette Francis flew to Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
to watch the Trojans basketball team play their first game in of the NCAA Tournament, speaking to the team before their 77-60 victory over Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
. With the Trojans not scheduled to play the next round until Sunday, March 18, Ryan's mother planned to stay for the entire weekend.