The improbable Sweet 16 run of St. Mary's in the NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament has been fueled by the meshing of its disparate parts.
No one on the team knows the value of that kind of kinship better than freshman swingman Alex Franz of Catonsville and Cardinal Gibbons.
When Franz's mother, Denise, succumbed to an asthma attack on Aug. 10, 2005, it started in motion a tragic string of personal losses that left Franz searching for perspective.
In the next 17 months, he also lost two coaches, his best friend and another classmate. Death was more than an acquaintance; it was a roommate.
By the time a Gibbons classmate drowned in Patapsco State Park, two weeks after his best friend had been shot and killed, Franz was emotionally empty.
"At that point, I hate to say it, but I couldn't even cry anymore. I was getting so used to people around me just dying," said Franz.
For coming through the ordeal, Franz, 19, has been selected one of 14 finalists for the eighth V Foundation Comeback Award, named after the late Jim Valvano and awarded to an individual who has overcome true adversity, be it in health, life or moral dilemma.
Candidates are recognized from all divisions and the winner will be announced on Final Four weekend.
St. Mary's coach Chris Harney first met Franz at the funeral for Bob Flynn, former Gibbons and St. Mary's coach, in January 2007. (Harney played for Flynn at St. Mary's.) Soon after, Harney persuaded him to come to St. Mary's City - with no Division III scholarships - over scholarship offers from Division II schools.
Little more than a year later, the Seahawks have won eight straight games and are two away from the Final Four in Salem, Va. Franz has played a key role in helping St. Mary's (19-11) advance to a 7 o'clock tip-off tonight against Millsaps College (27-3) in a St. Louis sectional.
"Alex plays with a lot of heart," Harney said. "He's always positive, always upbeat. I lost my mother to cancer when I was around his age, so we have an unusual bond."
Franz said he was bitter, though, after his mother died suddenly at age 52. He spent the next month and a half with his aunt and uncle, Susie and Mike Grace, in Catonsville before he changed.
"I have great family," Franz said. "My Aunt Susie saved my life. She's the best person I know. She not only saved me, she probably saved my Dad [Dr. Charles P. Franz]. He leaned on Mom for everything. All my aunts were amazing."
When it came time to pick his college, Franz, who was a first-team All-Baltimore Catholic League guard, wanted to stay near home. He visited 22 schools - "from Boston to Georgia" - before picking St. Mary's.
"Coach Harney sold me on the school and the type people we have here," he said. "These guys took me in right away and accepted me."
Franz is averaging just over seven points for the Seahawks, but his big contributions so far have been on defense and ball-handling. He has a quick reply when asked how the team regrouped from an 11-11 start to win the Capital Athletic Conference championship and reach the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history.
"We learned how to play defense," he said, "and we started trusting each other more."
ken.murray@baltsun.com