May 13, 2006 - Ryan Francis, 20, USC Trojans, G
San Diego Union Tribune -- USC freshman point guard Ryan Francis was shot and killed early yesterday while riding in a car in Louisiana, where he was visiting his mother.
The 19-year-old was killed about 3:30 a.m. in Baton Rouge, said Tim Tessalone, USC's director of sports information.
Francis was among four passengers whose vehicle pulled up to a stoplight. The driver of an adjacent vehicle exited his car wielding a firearm and opened fire, said Lt. Keith Bates of the Baton Rouge Police Department. The driver of the car Francis was in attempted to drive away, but Francis, who was sitting in the left-rear passenger seat, was shot multiple times.
Francis died upon arrival at a trauma center several minutes later. Bates said no one else in the vehicle was injured.
The shooter was identified as D'Anthony Norman Ford, police told The Advocate of Baton Rouge. Ford, 19, was arrested without incident, Bates told the newspaper, which also reported that Ford was booked on one count of first-degree murder.
Francis was a standout in high school, averaging 22 points a game at Glen Oaks High in Baton Rouge and leading his team to a 36-0 record and the state's 4-A championship in 2004-05. Francis was named the 2005 Louisiana Class 4-A Player of the Year.
Lightly recruited out of high school, Francis made a major impact on a USC team that finished 17-13 and upset UCLA, North Carolina and Arizona. Francis was the starting point guard this past season and averaged more than seven points a game. He ranked seventh in the Pac-10 in assists (111) and fifth in steals (47).
"We're all devastated," said USC coach Tim Floyd. "We've lost a special young man who in his short time at USC made an impression that will last forever. He was a wonderful young man, a fine student and a leader who was admired by his teammates. He came from a great family, he loved his mother and talked about her all the time. This is just so, so sad."
Last month at the team's postseason banquet, Francis was given the John Rudometkin Award as the player who always gave 110 percent effort.
