This morning at football practice, Willie Fritz approached me during warm-ups and asked when I was heading to San Antonio. After I told him, he explained that UH can turn Duke over and steal possessions. And that the Blue Devils could struggle playing in a football stadium for the first time, while UH had to adjust to the altered sightlines and depth perception last week. Coaches always look for the angle, even when discussing other sports.
Ja’Vier Francis was the baby moose when he came to UH – all knees and elbows, not always silky smooth, or coordinated, but definitely talented. His spin move often started on the right block and finished with a foot outside the left block. He’d make a few and miss the rim with a few, but there was something in his game that could be harnessed and developed. Ja’Vier kept improving, eventually starting on a Big 12 champion.
There were murmurs over the summer that JoJo Tugler could take his starting spot, but Ja’Vier went into the fall as the five-man. In a September interview, Ja’Vier told me he had been working on his offensive game, and his goal for 2024-25 was to be more aggressive. He and coach KC Beard had been working on his aggression since June. In individual film study, he worked on finding spots he could get to and shots he might have passed up in the past.
But then a preseason groin injury changed everything. He couldn’t practice for 19 days and was not himself until January rolled around. JoJo took that starting spot and never gave it up. Ja’Vier said it pissed him off at first, but to his credit, he got over it.
Francis made the most of his role. Instead of treating it like a demotion, he became a one-man second line, of sorts. After JoJo wore a team out for 4-5 minutes, Ja’Vier substituted in and gave them a booster shot of the same controlled mania. Thirty of the last 31 opponents couldn’t hang.
Since New Year’s, Francis has been a monster. Playing about 16 minutes a game, he’s averaged 5.5 points and 4.9 rebounds. He’s shot 67.1% (54/83) from the floor and a remarkable 74.5% from the line (35/47). Before this season, Francis was a 53.7% shooter from the line. Despite playing 200 minutes less than last season, he’s attempted just four fewer free throws. Aggression is paying off.
Last Tuesday, before the team left for Indianapolis, the other bigs were working on free throws on their end of the court. Ja’Vier had completed his work, which usually means players head for the locker room. But Ja’Vier sat in one of the chairs on the Cullen side of the practice court and enjoyed solitude, despite 40 other people in the gym. He sat there, dribbled a ball occasionally, but mostly watched. He was taking it all in, enjoying his teammates prepare for the Sweet 16, and laughing. Yes, laughing by himself. He seemed happy about where life had taken him.
As he should be: in four seasons, Francis has been part of four straight regular-season conference titles, two conference tournament titles, four Sweet 16s, and now two Elite Eights and a Final Four.