Francis Lighting Up Middle School Level - Beckley, Bluefield & Lewisburg News, Weather, Sports

It was something they joked about.

"My friends were joking about me before the game starting. They said 'Are you going to get 50?' I just never thought I'd get 50," said Park Middle School point guard Isaiah Francis

"We're sitting in the kitchen, and he said 'I'm going to drop 50 tomorrow.' And I said 'Boy get out of here,' said Spanky Francis, Isaiah's father and coach.

Then came last week's game between Trap Hill and Park.

"Actual game started and he got into the rhythm of the game," Spanky said.

"I was in the zone. I couldn't miss," Isaiah said.

Francis dropped 50 points, something though that didn't just happen overnight.

"We had basketball goals in the house. We had them on the back of the door. We had them in the garage. We had them outside so we had multiple places to go," the elder Francis said.

The eighth grader suits up as a point guard for the Roadrunners, and a shooting guard for his AAU squad. But he enjoys the responsibilities of bring the quarterback on the court.

"I like seeing the whole court and getting my teammates involved," Isaiah said.

Spanky knows the game as well. He scored 49 points in a high school contest. Now, in two roles, he's plenty excited about Isaiah's game.

"You're proud of him, it just happened to be my son that night. But I'm also his coach. I'm proud of him on both ends," he said.

Now, as far as a repeat performance?

"I got to do it again, I have to. It's just that kind of pressure," he said.

He didn't disappoint soon after. In Park's first tournament game, Isaiah scored 48 points in a win.