By Richard Justice, Houston Chronicle
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Steve Francis approaches every game, every practice, and even the most informal of pick-up games or shooting contests with an unbridled joy that all but announces his love of the game. Those emotions are clear as he runs the floor with a hip-hop step that resembles a small child bouncing home from school. There are the high-energy fast breaks, no-look passes and arena-rattling dunks, all accompanied by frequent smiles and the nonstop chatter that teammates find so endearing and opponents so infuriating.

With all of his actions, the message is clear: Steve Francis is a man enjoying himself. The emotions are real because Steve Francis is unable to hide his feelings. That was an honest frown he wore during the 1999 draft when the Vancouver Grizzlies made him the second choice of the evening. And that was an ear-to-ear grin on his face almost a year later when he and Chicago's Elton Brand shared the Rookie of the Year award. When he showed up in New York to accept the trophy, he was so excited that he toured the room, signed autographs, then he got so caught up in the moment that he hugged fans and reporters alike.

In between those two defining moments, Francis established himself as one of the NBA's brightest young stars, a point guard with such breathtaking skills and pizzazz that he already has been compared to Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson and a host of others. Rudy Tomjanovich, his coach, flatly says Francis eventually could be recognized as one of the best point guards of all-time, while his teammates say he still does things that make them stop and shake their heads.

While it's early to be clearing a spot for Francis in Springfield, it's easier to measure what his arrival in Houston in 1999 has meant for the Rockets. He joined a veteran team built around three future Hall of Famers -- Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley and Scottie Pippen -- as a complementary piece on a club some thought might be good enough to win a championship.

That team, however, never got on the floor. Pippen was traded to Portland before the opening day of the 1999-2000 season, and Barkley suffered a career-ending injury on December 8. Instead of fitting in with those three veterans, Francis was handed the keys to the Rockets before the All-Star break. By the end of the season, he was the player every opponent focused on, and for fans watching Olajuwon finish a marvelous career, Francis brought hope that a new era of Rocket ball is forthcoming.

For he is the total package. From the burning speed to the killer crossover move to the uncanny knack of seeing teammates on the move, Francis has the kind of talent that a franchise can build around. Hence the nickname: Stevie Franchise.

"He has a chance to be one of the best ever at his position," Tomjanovich said. "I believe he will accomplish that because of the kind of person he is. He has a great heart. He's fearless. He's confident. But he's also very coachable. He has an open mind. He's willing to learn. He's willing to put in the work to get better. I can't tell you how much I like him. We've got a bunch of young guys, and he's one of the ones who helped rejuvenate me.''

Television highlights reveal only pieces of his game -- the majestic fast breaks and the blinding moves and dunks. What they don't show is what a student of a game he has become. On a routine night, he might mosey over to the scorer's table to quiz former Rockets point guard Calvin Murphy, who does television commentary during games. Or he might ask Tomjanovich or an assistant coach about any of a hundred situations.

"He's going to be a superstar," Murphy said. "He's got talent, athletic ability and a passion for the game. You tell him something once and he's got it down cold. He's eager to understand the concept of making his job easier."

His first NBA season actually was divided into two seasons. Until Barkley got hurt, Francis was the guy in charge of distributing the ball to the veterans on a team that was built around the half-court game. After Barkley's departure, he helped turn the Rockets into an occasional up-tempo club. By the end of the season, Francis was only the seventh rookie in NBA history to average at least 15 points, five assists and five rebounds, joining a short list that includes Oscar Robertson, Alvan Adams, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Penny Hardaway and Grant Hill.

Francis had an impressive statistical year as a rookie, and it has continued this season as he has consistently ranked third in scoring among point guards behind Stephon Marbury and Gary Payton and first in rebounding by point guards with almost seven per game.

"I think that if you look at the overall impact he has on the game, you'd see," Tomjanovich said. "He climbed the ladder in the assist category, and he rebounds, he steals the ball, and I think he's a solid defensive player."

As much as the Rockets love the 24-year-old's skills, they say the person inside those sweet moves is equally impressive. They say no one works harder or is more considerate of teammates. They also say that every day in every way, Francis is testimony to the two women who've had the biggest influence on him -- his late mother Brenda Wilson and his grandmother, Mabel Wilson.

He still carries his mother's driver's license in his wallet, frequently showing it to his visitors and asking if they see the resemblance. She died of cancer five years ago, and Francis was so shaken by her death that he essentially gave up organized basketball for two years. He spent those two years in the Maryland suburbs outside of Washington, D.C., playing in an occasional pick-up game, but having no desire to do more. He said later that pleasing his mother was the best part of playing, and without having her around to watch, the game was not as fun. Mabel, his grandmother, remains a strong presence in his life, visiting a few times a season from Maryland and talking to him almost daily by telephone. Francis has been open with teammates about his family, and they have sympathized and been supportive.

"Steve and I clicked from the start," said Cuttino Mobley. "We come from the same background. He lost his mother and I lost my stepfather, which was hard, and we talked a lot about that. I know how it is when you're young coming into the league. I just admire him for being the person that he is because he's not a cocky kid."

Francis didn't play high school basketball after his sophomore year, but still developed a game during hours at the Takoma Park Community Center near his home. In the time Francis took off, he grew six important inches, from 5-9 to his current 6-3, and when he stepped back on the floor, he was on his way to stardom. By the time he showed up for an AAU tournament in Florida, he had already received a scholarship offer to San Jacinto Junior College outside Houston. He led San Jacinto to the finals of the National Junior College Championship in 1997, then transferred back East to Allegany (Md.) Community College. There, he was named a JUCO All-America player in 1998 and led that school into the national tournament. He then fulfilled a lifelong dream by playing for the University of Maryland. He spent the 1998-99 season at Maryland where he was named Second Team All-America by The Associated Press.

But for all his college experience, Francis credits Tony Langley, his coach at the Takoma Park Boys & Girls Clubs, with teaching him the game.

"He wanted to win at everything," Langley said. "Wind sprints, scrimmages, everything. We have an annual summer festival and Stevie still holds the record for raffle tickets sold, more than 400 in a day. He's always understood that the object of the game was to win."

Francis has been a model citizen for the Rockets, showing up early to every practice, signing thousands of autographs and making dozens of public appearances for the team. In short, he has been so good that it's sometimes hard to remember he almost didn't become a Rocket.

Drafted by Vancouver, he grew visibly upset when the Grizzlies called his name. He had expected to play in Chicago or at least in a city close enough for his grandmother to visit.

"I'm a very emotional person," he said, remembering the night of the draft. "If I'm happy, I'll show it. If I'm angry, I'll show that, too, just like I do on the basketball court. I was upset, because I left Chicago [the week before] thinking I wanted to go to the Bulls and they wanted to pick me. When they didn't [drafting Brand instead], I was upset."

Realizing this, Vancouver maneuvered an 11-player, three-team trade with Houston and the Orlando Magic on August 27, 1999, that sent Francis to Houston. Asked to play the point with the Rockets, Francis had some adjusting to do because he had not been a true point guard at Maryland.

"In the beginning of the year, Steve was not comfortable playing the point guard position," Houston swingman Walt Williams said. "He didn't play the point that at Maryland. But point guard is probably the most important position. You have to see the whole floor, get everybody involved. For a scorer like him his entire life to make that adjustment before the season is over, that's remarkable. I thought it would take at least the whole season and into the second season for him to get that kind of feel. But he picked it up so quickly. And that made us a better team."

By the end of the season, he was playing the position as if he was born to it. Now, the Rockets are close to being his team. (Out of respect to Olajuwon, Francis will not call the Rockets "his" team even though it essentially is already.) Last summer, he was a front-line recruiter in convincing free agent Maurice Taylor to sign with the Rockets, and when Mobley needed to be convinced to turn down an offer from Toronto, Francis called him daily.

When the Rockets held a public scrimmage during training camp, Francis stole the show on and off the court. He did televised interviews of teammates and one hilarious interrogation of himself. He greeted fans as they arrived at the arena and signed a few hundred autographs.

"This feels like home," he said, and the feeling is mutual. When the Rockets and their fans speculate on having a bright future, the discussion begins with Stevie Franchise.

RICHARD JUSTICE writes for the Houston Chronicle. He wrote the David Robinson feature in the February issue of this magazine.