Former Terp Standout Francis Named Co-Winner Of The NBA's Rookie Of The Year Award
5/11/2000 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
May 11, 2000
CHICAGO (AP) -- Former Terp standout Steve Francis joins Elton Brand as the co-winners of the NBA's Rookie of the Year award.
At Maryland, Francis was a consensus All America second team selection and finalist for the Naismith and Wooden Awards as the collegiate player of the year. He also led the Terrapins in scoring (17.0 ppg) and steals (2.8 sgg).
His 95 steals as a junior ranked as the second-best single-season total in Maryland history and tied for the fourth-best single-season total in ACC history. An all-ACC first team and all-ACC Tournament first team selection, Francis was also selected first team All America and Division I newcomer of the year by Sports Illustrated.
It's only the third time a pair of rookies has shared the honor, announced this morning. Jason Kidd and Grant Hill were co-winners in 1994-95, and Dave Cowens and Geoff Petrie shared in 1970-71.
Brand said he was sharing the award with his mother as well as Francis, and kissed her and handed her a box of flowers.
He said Francis had a great season, and that they had talked about sharing the award.
"He congratulated me and I congratulated him," Brand said. "He said I should have got it, I said he should have got it."
Brand is the only Chicago Bull besides Michael Jordan to win the rookie award. Jordan won it in 1984-85.
Brand, the 1998-99 consensus college player of the year, was the Chicago Bulls' first-ever No. 1 pick overall. He said from the day he was drafted that he wanted to win Rookie of the Year. And it wasn't just about adding to the collection in his trophy case.
Brand led all rookies in scoring (20.1 points), rebounding (10), blocked shots (1.63) and minutes (37) per game. He also was tops in double-doubles (42), and led the entire NBA with 4.3 offensive rebounds per game.
Brand's career-high 44 points against the Washington Wizards on April 13 was the highest output by a rookie since Allen Iverson ended his streak of five 40-point-plus games with 50 on April 12, 1997. Francis, traded to the Rockets after originally being drafted by the Vancouver Grizzlies, came on strong the last month of the season. He scored 30 or more points four times in the last month of the season, averaging 20.8 points, 6.9 assists and 6.5 rebounds in April.
"I thought it was great," Francis said of his selection. "Any rookie will tell you they want to be the sole winner, but I was going up against the No. 1 pick and it's tough to beat him out.
"But I definitely thought they selected two of the best players."
Francis was the rookie leader in steals (at 6.6 per game), and finished second to Brand with 18 points per game.
He was fifth in scoring among all point guards in the NBA, and just the seventh rookie to average at least 15 points, five assists and five rebounds -- joining Oscar Robertson, Alvan Adams, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Penny Hardaway and Hill.
