HS HOOPS: 6-foot-8 Discovery Prep standout waiting to be discovered

Ian Francis has been going off for tiny Discovery Prep of Pacoima, a City Section small school. Francis, a 6-foot-8 senior, is averaging 30.5 points, and get this: He's a point guard.

"Oh my god, he's unbelievable," said coach Shawn Bankhead, a former Cleveland of Reseda standout in the early 1990s. "I think he's going to be real special. I let him run the point."

Playing a part-time schedule, Discovery Prep is 6-7 with two games remaining, including tonight's 6:30 matchup against seniorless Vaughn Learning Center at Van Nuys High.

"Vaughn doesn't have anyone over 6-feet tall, so Ian might score 50 tonight," Bankhead said. "He's a good prospect, and he has a 3.5 GPA and 1500 SAT score."

Francis, a fifth-year senior, transferred from Granada Hills, where he averaged 5.7 points and 2.6 rebounds last season in limited minutes.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com
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