SQUEEZE the ORANGE....He had SAN JACINTO TX CC and ALLEGHENY MD CC on 100....the COLE Fieldhouse and the FIGHTING TURTLES players in the ACC...what happened to Stevie "FRANCHISE" Francis in the LOGO?

It is never a bad thing or end of the world when you have to go the Junior College Route to get to a 4-Year as a Student-Athlete. This is the path one Maryland Native Combo Guard Steve Francis took to get to the Logo.

The Journey was never in doubt as immensely talented as Steve was in the Maryland part of the DMV. He didn't have the grades to go to Maryland right away so his first stop was Texas to National Powerhouse San Jacinto Runnin' Ravens. They were from toughest JUCO Basketball Conference in the Country...the Texas Junior College Athletic Conference.

Steve was 1st Team All-American at San Jacinto TX and they went unbeaten. Then he was home sick and transferred back home to play for the Allegheny CC Trojans and led them to an unbeaten season and the 1st Ever player to do so in Junior College Basketball.  It wasn't like then Maryland Lead Man Gary Williams had to beg Steve to come to College Park, Maryland and play for the Terps as he had been on their radar since 8th grade.

Steve didn't disappoint at Maryland College Park as he went to work right away and led the Terps in Scoring and went All-ACC and AP All-American.

Then as he entered the 1999 NBA Draft he had told everyone that he would not be going to the Vancouver Grizzlies if they drafted him. As he sat their in the Green Room on Draft Night the Grizzlies came up at #2 and I remember to this day Commissioner David J. Stern calling his name, " With the 2nd Pick in the 1999 NBA Draft...the Vancouver Grizzlies select (by this time at Steve's table he had his face down in his hands as though they better not call my name).....Steve Francis...Guard...University of Maryland. the Whole time Steve hugged Grandma, Ma, family, and Agent...he was shaking his hand and crying as though I told them not to do it.

Francis did get his due when he was traded to the Houston Rockets right before his rookie season. He was Rookie of the Year with Bulls PF Elton Brand (who was the #$1 Overall in 1999) and Steve had All-Star Seasons in H-Town. From 2002-04 he was a West All-Star with Rockets Center Yao Ming. Steve was so good in the Rocket City he had garnered the nickname "Stevie Franchise" that until the Ming Dynasty took full affect.

Right before then 2004-05 Season Francis was traded with Partner in Crime..Sniper Cuttino "Cat" Mobley (Born and raised Philadelphia and starred in College for the Rhode Island Rams and Jim Harrick former UCLA Coach and Lamar Odom missed him as he attended URI in '99 Mobley in '98) to the Orlando Magic and they flourished. Then after Cat was traded to the Clippers the Following season that was it for Franchise as he wasn't the same player. Injuries among other Personal Issues had got to Steve and his career would be average at best.

Franchise went to the Knicks after the Magic and then back to the Rockets as he ended his career in  2009. The strange thing was as talented as he is and as fast as he arrived on the Major College and Logo Scene....POOOOOF....Stevie Franchise was gone in a flash.

I will always remember him as the Mythical Legend coming out of JUCO that the Fighting Turtles were getting and they were preseason ranked #2 when Steve came in with all that Hype and he never disappointed.

Steve "Stevie Franchise" Francis....San Jac TX CC, Allegheny MD CC MD, and Maryland College Park All-American as well as 3x Logo All_Star.