Blake Francis

Blake Francis (born January 3, 1998) is an American college basketball player for the Richmond Spiders of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10).

Blake Francis
Francis with Richmond in 2021
No. 1 – Richmond Spiders
PositionPoint guard
LeagueAtlantic 10 Conference
Personal information
Born (1998-01-03) January 3, 1998
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High school
College
Career highlights and awards

High school career

After spending his freshman year at Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia, Francis transferred to Westfield High School in Chantilly, Virginia.[1] As a senior, he averaged 20.1 points per game and led Westfield to the Virginia 6A state championship, scoring 23 points against Oscar F. Smith High School in the title game.[2][3] He was a Second Team All-State selection.[4] Francis left as Westfield's all-time leading scorer, with 1,390 career points. He planned to attend prep school because he had no NCAA Division I scholarship offers. He accepted an offer from Wagner when a scholarship suddenly became available on the team because two-sport athlete Greg Senat had switched his scholarship from basketball to football.[5][6]

College career

As a freshman at Wagner, Francis averaged 7.2 points per game in a reserve role.[5] Due to the departures of important players after the season, he was given more opportunities as a sophomore.[7] On February 8, 2018, Francis scored a career-high 29 points in a 96–76 win over Bryant.[8] In his sophomore season, he averaged 17.3 points per game and made a program-record 102 three-pointers.[7] Francis was named to the Second Team All-Northeast Conference. He transferred to Richmond and sat out his next year per National Collegiate Athletic Association rules.[9] He was drawn to Richmond because his friend Cedrick Lindsay had played there and some of his former Amateur Athletic Union teammates were on the roster.[7]

During his redshirt year, he recovered from foot surgery.[4] On December 3, 2019, Francis matched his career-high of 29 points, shooting 6-of-9 from three-point range, in an 80–63 victory over Hampton.[10] On January 11, 2020, he suffered a sternal fracture when diving for a loose ball during a 75–58 loss against Saint Louis and was expected to miss four to six weeks.[11] He returned to action against Fordham on February 8 and finished with 18 points.[12] As a junior, Francis led the team in scoring with 17.7 points per game while also averaging 2.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. He earned Second Team All-Atlantic 10 honors.[13] He led Richmond to a program-record 14 conference wins. Francis declared for the 2020 NBA draft before withdrawing his name and opting to return to Richmond.[14]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 Wagner 28320.5.424.422.7501.41.1.6.07.2
2017–18 Wagner 322232.7.430.402.8061.91.71.6.017.3
2018–19 Richmond
Redshirt
2019–20 Richmond 252532.7.417.363.8052.22.01.1.017.7
Career 855028.7.424.392.7961.81.61.2.014.1

Personal life

Francis' older brother, Branden, played college football for Liberty. He is a cousin of former NFL player Marques Hagans and basketball player Tyler Thornton.[6]

References
  1. Parker, Brandon (February 18, 2014). "Westfield's Blake Francis emerges as standout on young team". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  2. O'Connor, John (April 11, 2018). "Transfer guard Blake Francis has connections that helped him hook up with Spiders". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  3. "Blake Francis". University of Richmond Athletics. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  4. O'Connor, John (October 31, 2019). "Blake Francis has already been a Division I star, at Wagner. His new goal: help the Spiders win". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  5. Kussoy, Howie (December 15, 2017). "Wagner sophomore star won't go overlooked again". New York Post. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  6. "Blake Francis". Wagner College Athletics. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  7. O'Connor, John (July 30, 2020). "Spider Blake Francis' decision to transfer from Wagner looks better every day". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  8. "First-Place Seahawks Soar Past Bryant 96–76 For Seventh Straight Win, Improving To 13–0 At Home". Wagner College Athletics. February 8, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  9. "All-NEC Performer Blake Francis Will Transfer To Richmond". University of Richmond Athletics. April 10, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  10. "Francis scores 29 to carry Richmond over Hampton 80–63". ESPN. Associated Press. December 3, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  11. "Richmond leading scorer Blake Francis out 4–6 weeks". ESPN. January 16, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  12. O'Connor, John (February 13, 2020). "Blake Francis' handspring at La Salle was fine sign for UR as it preps for rematch vs. VCU". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  13. Hajduczka, Krystian (April 7, 2020). "Three Richmond men's basketball players declare for the 2020 NBA Draft". The Collegian. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  14. "Francis, Gilyard, Golden Officially Withdraw From NBA Draft". University of Richmond Athletics. June 3, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
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