Nice story on Jacobe Shannon, a friend of Ryan Francis, and how/why he got back into the game of basketball:

Jacobé Shannon would hear it all the time from Ryan Francis. During
phone conversations, "You need to start working out." In text messages,
"Get back to the gym." Through MySpace comments, "You need to go back
to school."

After
high school, Francis went to USC on a basketball scholarship while
Shannon stayed home in Baton Rouge, La., and worked for the post office.

Shannon had his reasons for stepping away from school and basketball —
his father had been killed and he needed some time — but his friend
couldn’t help but pester him to go back.

"The
whole time Ryan was at USC, like every day, he was either on the
computer or on the phone, ‘Man, you need to start working out, you are
going to be in school next year,’ " Shannon remembers.

Francis
was right. Shannon did return to school last fall — as a tribute to the
friend who wouldn’t let him give up on goals they shared growing up.

It would be great to see Jacobe brought on as a walk-on.  With all the financial support SC gives out, it is definitely feasible and would also be a fitting tribute to Ryan and the impact he’s had on so many people…