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*The 20-year-old brother of Cleveland Cavaliers starting guard Larry Hughes died Thursday following a lifelong struggle with heart problems. Hughes traveled to St. Louis to be with his family, forcing him to miss his team’s Game 3 win against the Detroit Pistons on Saturday. A wake for Hughes’ brother, Justin, is scheduled for today around the same time his team is scheduled to play Game 4 in Cleveland. The funeral is scheduled for Tuesday morning, and Cavs coach Mike Brown said the team is considering flying to Missouri to show support, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. Brown said there is no timetable for Hughes’ return. "The only thing I'm thinking about is that he's taking care of his family," said Brown, who hasn't spoken to Hughes. "I don't want to bother him. When it [Hughes' return] happens, it happens." Along with his mother, Larry Hughes helped raise his brother, who was born with a heart defect.
*University of Southern California freshman point guard Ryan Francis was shot and killed early Saturday while in Baton Rouge, LA visiting his mom for Mother’s Day. The 19-year-old was in a vehicle with four passengers at about 3:30 a.m. when the driver of another vehicle pulled up alongside them at a stoplight, exited the car and opened fire, said Lt. Keith Bates of the Baton Rouge Police Department. Francis, who was sitting in the back seat, was shot multiple times. The shooter was identified as 19-year-old D'Anthony Norman Ford, who was arrested without incident Saturday and charged with one count of first-degree murder. Francis was the starting point guard this past season for USC (17-13) and averaged more than seven points a game. He ranked seventh in the Pac-10 in assists (111) and fifth in steals (47). "We're all devastated," said USC coach Tim Floyd. "We've lost a special young man who in his short time at USC made an impression that will last forever."
*U.S. sprinter Justin Gatlin broke the 100-meter world record at a meet in Doha, Qatar, finishing the race in 9.76 seconds to surpass Jamaican Asafa Powell's mark of 9.77 set last June 14 in Athens. "Now I can say I'm the fastest man in the world and that feels great," Gatlin, 24, said on a conference call from Doha. "I'm in more disbelief in this race now than I was for the Olympics or world championships. I can't believe it came so soon. I didn't think it would come in my second race of the season." Gatlin, a Brooklyn, N.Y., native, will step up his rivalry with Powell on June 11 when the two face each other again in Gateshead, England.