LOS ANGELES -- Southern California freshman point guard Ryan Francis was shot and killed early Saturday while riding in a car in Louisiana, where he was visiting his mother.
The 19-year-old Francis was killed about 3:30 a.m. in Baton Rouge, said Tim Tessalone, USC's director of sports information.
"We understand he was in a car and somebody shot into the car," Tessalone said.
No other details were immediately available.
Francis was USC's starting point guard and averaged more than seven points a game. He scored 22 points a game at Glen Oaks High School in Baton Rouge, 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.
"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."