USC'S FRANCIS KILLED FRESHMAN TROJANS POINT GUARD SHOT IN NATIVE LOUISIANA.

Byline: SCOTT WOLF Staff Writer

USC freshman point guard Ryan Francis was shot and killed early Saturday morning while riding in a car in his hometown of Baton Rouge, La.

Francis, 19, was with three other passengers at an intersection about a mile from his home at about 3 a.m., when another car pulled up, blocked the road and the driver pulled out a gun, Lt. Keith Bates of the Baton Rouge Police Dept. said. As Francis' car tried to pull away, shots were fired. Francis, who was sitting in the left-rear passenger seat, was hit multiple times.

Francis was pronounced dead at 3:40 a.m. at Baton Rouge General Medical Center.

``He's a victim that happened to be a passenger in a car,'' Bates said. ``He was not the intended party, but it was by no means an accident.''

Police arrested a suspect Saturday afternoon but did not release details. A USC spokesperson said another passenger in Francis' car had been shot at earlier in the week, but police would not confirm the events were related.

``We have not conclusively tied that to this,'' Bates said.

News of Francis' death spread quickly Saturday morning and stunned the Trojans' basketball program.

Francis had left USC on Tuesday following the completion of final exams.

``Man, Ryan Francis was like the little brother I always wanted,'' USC guard Lodrick Stewart said. ``He was funny, cool to be around and always kept that big smile on his face, no matter how bad things were going.

``He really helped me a lot this year, just telling me to keep my head straight and stuff. It will never be the same without him here, especially with all the long talks we had. I loved him like a little brother.

``We will be together again. I promise I'll go hard every day just to bring that extra energy to the team like he did. Ryan always liked to say, `You heard me,' and I'll make sure he will never be forgotten.''

Francis was known at USC for his playful demeanor and rambunctious personality. One of his closest friends was forward Nick Young, who was a distant relative. The two often were seen wrestling and horsing around in Heritage Hall.

Young required stitches in his hip before USC's next- to-last home game when he shattered a glass case enclosing a fire hose after being pushed by Francis.

``We won't do that anymore until after the season,'' Francis had said, smiling.

USC coach Tim Floyd issued a statement from Las Vegas, where he was on a recruiting trip.

``We're all devastated,'' he said. ``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.''

Floyd saw Francis play last year while recruiting in Louisiana and liked his tough attitude and commitment to defense. Francis originally had planned to go to Louisiana-Lafayette but changed his mind when Floyd offered a scholarship.

He started all 30 games last season and was second on the team in minutes played. Francis was instrumental in USC's 71-68 upset of UCLA at the Sports Arena, a game in which he scored 12 points and frequently gave the Bruins problems with his penetration.

``We couldn't stop them ... they drove on us all night and got easy baskets,'' UCLA guard Cedric Bozeman said.

Overall, Francis averaged 7.1 points, 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals. He finished seventh in the Pacific-10 Conference in assists and fifth in steals.

Although he was not heavily recruited, Francis was a popular figure in Baton Rouge, where he led Glen Oaks High to the 2005 Class 4A state title and a 36-0 record. He was named to the Louisiana Sports Writers Association's Class 4A All-State team and averaged 22 points, seven assists and five steals per game.

``The school was well known,'' Bates said. ``He was the man there.''

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2 photos

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(1) Guard Ryan Francis started all 30 games for the Trojans as a freshman and averaged 7.1 points and 3.7 assists.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer

(2 -- color) FRANCIS