I witnessed a piece of history Tuesday afternoon in the City of Angels. The USC Trojans held their first practice in the brand new, state-of-the-art, $147 million Galen Center...They looked like a bunch of grade-school kids...Finally, Nick Young, a 6-foot-5 junior forward, weaved through the masses, dunked the ball and exalted in his triumph. It was good to be young -- and Young.Alas, there was a somber undercurrent to the joviality. For the last hour of practice, several hundred USC boosters watched from the lower seats. They were there as part of an event to support a scholarship fund created in honor of Ryan Francis...Francis wasn't on anyone's top-20 list as a high school senior, but he had terrific speed and toughness...He was one of those baby-faced kids you couldn't help but like, always saying "Sir" or "Ma'am" and relishing the chance to practice every day.
USC responded to Francis' death with typical class. The school flew the entire team to Louisiana, picked up the tab for the funeral and established the endowment, which it hopes will someday grow to $500,000...
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