Steve Francis

TAKOMA PARK -- Steve Francis grew up in this leafy suburban enclave of high-rise apartments and graceful Victorian homes. He played pickup basketball games in the modern community center and in the cellar of the city's 70-year-old stone firehouse.Now, on the eve of the National Basketball Association draft in which Francis might be taken as the No. 1 pick, Takoma Park residents of all ages say they are rooting for their favorite son -- providing he remembers his roots."I'm proud of him, as long as he's a good role model and makes these kids care about their lives and values," said Rebecca Brown, 57, town librarian.

University of Maryland men's basketball head coach Gary Williams will be joined by a few more special guests when he is inducted into the Sports Legends Museum's Hall of Legends on Thursday, Sept. 30 at the Hippodrome in Baltimore. Guests added to the event include former Terps basketball standout and NBA first-round pick Steve Francis, University of Minnesota men's basketball coach Tubby Smith, Loyola men's basketball coach and former Maryland assistant Jimmy Patsos and Tony Massenburg, who played for Williams at Maryland from 1989-90.

The University of Maryland basketball fanatics and curiosity seekers arrived early last week at Harford Community College to get a glimpse of dynamic Allegany Community College point guard Steve Francis in action.They wanted to see what all the fuss is about over the 6-foot-3 junior college kid.Is he really good enough, like some coaches are saying, to transform Maryland into a Final Four team next season if coach Gary Williams wins one of the most important recruiting battles in his nine years at the school?

Mo Williams strengthened his argument for being an All-Star by scoring a career-high 43 points and LeBron James recorded his 20th career triple double as the Cleveland Cavaliers (35-8) improved to 21-0 at home, beating the Sacramento Kings, 117-110, last night. Williams, who is hoping to join James on the Eastern Conference team at next month's All-Star Game in Phoenix, had his finest game since joining the Cavaliers. The do-it-all point guard went 15-of-24 from the field, made a career-best seven three-pointers and added 11 assists and eight rebounds.

CUMBERLAND -- Maryland's more seasoned basketball followers hope that they don't experience deja vu this spring.In 1974, Lefty Driesell signed the player who would finally make Maryland the "UCLA of the East." Moses Malone never played for the Terps, however; he jumped directly from high school to the Utah Stars of the old American Basketball Association.A generation later, Maryland faces an unsettling question about another prize recruit: Will Steve Francis become Gary Williams' Moses?Unless Francis is capable of making history, the answer is no.In early April, the Allegany Community College sophomore guard signed a national letter of intent to play for the Terps.

COLLEGE PARK -- You better watch out.You better not pout, or walk out to the concourse to get a hot dog.Steve Francis is coming to town.Maryland's annual basketball appearance at the Baltimore Arena comes Saturday, when the fifth-ranked Terps take on Princeton. The Tigers are a lump of coal in an opponent's stocking, but can they spoil the celebration for a team that awoke this season to a flashy new sports car in its driveway?Decked out in red and white, Francis has quickened the pulse of Maryland and its followers, and become a prime topic of discussion for NBA scouts.

HOUSTON -- There is a lot here to remind Steve Francis of home. The suburban sprawl puts this Southwestern city right up there with Washington when it comes to horrendous rush-hour traffic. The 3-11 record amassed so far by the Rockets is way down there, even below that of the Wizards. Wait until the humidity hits next summer.By then, though, Francis will likely be back in Takoma Park, Md., back with his beloved grandmother and the rest of the family that helped assure him that any other NBA city was better to play in than Vancouver.

COLLEGE PARK -- There's about a foot of forgiveness on the basketball court at Piney Branch Elementary. Take the ball to the hole, get a taste of the wall just beyond the baseline.It's one of the gyms in Takoma Park where Steve Francis tagged along with his older brothers. They were in their early teens themselves, out to challenge the older guys, and little Steve was sent a message that he didn't belong."Steve used to get run into that wall every day," Terry Francis said of his younger brother.

PHILADELPHIA - He has all the trappings of NBA stardom: a contract that pays him more than $3 million a year now and could be quadrupled by next summer, an adoring public that voted him a Western Conference starter in today's All-Star Game, power lunches with sneaker company executives and waiting limousines. Such is life these days for Steve Francis, who after years of nomadic obscurity vaulted from his one season at the University of Maryland into becoming one of professional basketball's most entertaining and hardest-working players.

It was an ordeal that began nearly two months ago, when Steve Francis expressed his displeasure with being drafted by the Vancouver Grizzlies. Yesterday the episode came to an end, with Francis never having to put on the uniform of the team in the Canadian city that he appeared to despise.On the day that he canceled a news conference on a topic that he never revealed, Francis was traded yesterday to the Houston Rockets in a three-team, 11-player deal -- the largest trade in NBA history.When the deal was finally approved by the NBA last night, the Rockets had received Francis and Tony Massenburg from Vancouver and Don MacLean and a future first-round pick from Orlando.

The Boston Celtics' Big 3 outplayed the Houston Rockets' trio of stars last night. Ray Allen scored 29 points, Kevin Garnett added 14 points and 11 rebounds, and the Celtics shut down Ron Artest and Yao Ming in a 103-99 victory over the host Rockets. Tracy McGrady scored 26 points for Houston. Mavericks 98, Spurs 81: : Dirk Nowitzki scored 30 points, Jason Terry added 29 in his first start of the season and Dallas' victory gave host San Antonio its first 0-3 record in 35 years. The Mavericks also received 14 points from Josh Howard.

COLLEGE PARK -- As Maryland senior guard Mike Jones was warming up before the Terps' tip-off against Duke earlier this week, one of the most frequent insults flung his way from the Blue Devils' student section was the same label that deemed him a high school superstar. "Are you a McDonald's All-American?" one of the Cameron Crazies yelled from a few feet away. Jones' response was a game-high 25 points, four assists and six rebounds - evidence that his game has evolved into more than just unreliable, yet often remarkable, shooting streaks.

Moves Baseball ASTROS: Optioned P Carlos Hernandez to Triple-A Round Rock. Reassigned P Turk Wendell and OF Charles Gipson to minor league camp. BLUE JAYS: Assigned P Jesse Carlson, P Spike Lundberg and P Michael Nannini to minor league camp. BRAVES: Optioned P Kyle Davies, P Jorge Vasquez, IF Andy Marte, IF Tony Pena, OF Kelly Johnson and OF Bill McCarthy to Triple-A Richmond. GIANTS: Optioned P Brad Hennessey and OF Todd Linden to Triple-A Fresno. Reassigned P Matt Kinney and P Jeremy Fikac to minor league camp MARLINS: Promoted Michael Hill to VP and assistant GM. NATIONALS: Optioned IF Brendan Harris to Triple-A New Orleans.

WASHINGTON - For once, the Washington Wizards held down their turnovers and got solid production from their bench, which should have added up to a win. However, the Wizards allowed the Houston Rockets to shoot a blistering 52 percent from the field and pound them on the boards 44-31, thereby suffering the expected, 93-80 loss before 16,254 at MCI Center last night. Afterward, Wizards coach Eddie Jordan, in a three-minute burst of controlled fury, let loose on his team, particularly his big men, contending that they had shown little heart and pride.

ATLANTA -- The questions regarding Juan Dixon evolved along with the fifth-year senior. 1996: Why is Gary Williams wasting a scholarship on a 140-pound kid from Calvert Hall? 1999: This is the guy who's going to replace Steve Francis at shooting guard? 2002: Is Dixon the best basketball player ever at the University of Maryland? Now that you've cleaned up that coffee spill and choked down that bite of bran muffin, step back and really reconsider the case of Dixon. If NBA potential is your yardstick, he lags behind a pack that's led by John Lucas, Joe Smith and the late Len Bias, but if a performance in college is the criterion, then Dixon looks large.

The week in reviewResultsWon at home over North Carolina, 81-64, SaturdayWho's hotSteve Francis did everything but hand out Valentine's Day cards Saturday in a 22-point performance against the Tar Heels. He hit eight of 12 from the field, including 4-for-6 from three-point range, had five steals, three assists and three rebounds.Who's notTerrell Stokes had nine assists and shut down Ed Cota against Carolina, but had another scoreless game. The senior has gone scoreless in six games this season.

Now that Maryland has apparently lost 6-foot-9 guard DerMarr Johnson to the University of Cincinnati, the Reece Gaines watch becomes even more important for the Terps as they try to bounce back from the loss of junior Steve Francis to the NBA draft.Johnson, Parade magazine's national Player of the Year, made an oral commitment to Cincinnati this week, choosing the Bearcats out of a final four list that also included Maryland, Connecticut and North Carolina-Charlotte.Johnson, who lives in Riverdale, Md., played at Maine Central Institute last season and was known for his three-point shooting and excellence off the dribble.