Every year around Mother's Day, I always remember the tragic death of a friend on the basketball court, a fallen student athlete on his way to the top. It's like the classic scenario where you take a guy out the ghetto but you can't take the ghetto out the guy. Ryan Francis is the guy we all remember that left us way too soon. He was a role model for those around him and inspiration to everyone. He found his ticket out the hood by heading all the way to the University of Southern California on a basketball scholarship to better himself and his family. With finals being over, he decided to take a trip home to Baton Rouge to visit his mom. In the early hours of May 13, 2006, his life was taken in a drive by shooting... ironically, it was Mother's Day. To this day, there are still tributes for him that keep his memory around other than just our hearts. When my friend Tyrus Thomas got drafted to the Chicago Bulls, he wore #24 because Tyrus' LSU number as 12 and Ryan's was 12 as well and it added up to 24. Some of my friends on Facebook still have his image up as their default. It's been 4 years and hopefully people can learn that rivalries and drama aren't worth the lives of individuals.
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