Florida International University's basketball team is just that -- international in makeup.

The Miami-based Golden Panthers feature players from Serbia, Cameroon, Canada, Puerto Rico and Senegal.

Not to be outdone, Robert Morris, which visits Florida International tonight, has an international makeup to its team, too.

The Colonials have a player from Angola. And from Zaire. And from France.

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Scouting report

• Matchup: Robert Morris (3-2) vs. Florida International (2-1), 7 p.m. today, Pharmed Arena, Miami, Fla.
• Radio, Internet: WPIT-AM (730), www.sports.yahoo.com.
• Robert Morris: Beat Florida International at home last season, 92-76. A.J. Jackson had 25 points. ... First visit to Florida International since Feb. 8, 1989. ... Averaging 76.8 points per game. ... Shooting 66 percent at free-throw line and 30.1 percent from 3-point range. ... Led by Jeremy Chappell (15.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 4.2 steals per game), Jackson (14.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and Tony Lee (11.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 6.8 apg). ... Playing fifth of six consecutive road games.
• Florida International: Coming off 77-69 loss to South Florida Monday night. ... Member of Sun Belt Conference. ... Returns three starters from last season's 12-17 team. ... Has added newcomers Russell Hicks, a 7-foot center who transferred from Pepperdine, and G Kenneth White, a transfer from Texas A&M. ... Hicks averaging 15 ppg, 8 rpg. ... Golden Panthers averaging 77.3 ppg. ... Shooting 63.9 percent at free-throw line. ... Has wins against Florida Tech and Kennesaw State.

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What makes that geographic trifecta interesting is that one player represents all three countries.

Bateko Francisco was born in Angola in 1984. Because that country was enmeshed in a civil war, his parents moved the family to Zaire when Francisco was 3 months old. Eight years later, the family moved to Paris, France. Two years after that, Francisco developed a wish-list.

At the top of that list?

"That I could come to America and play basketball," he said. "Now I have my chance. I think I'm lucky."

Francisco grew up in Paris watching NBA games on television -- primarily those involving Michael Jordan. That fueled his desire to come to the United States.

One of his coaches in Paris knew coach John Burns at Fort Scott Junior College in Kansas.

"They wanted a guard," Francisco said. "I knew nothing about Kansas -- nothing."

But he did know that Kansas was in the United States, and that was good enough.

"Basketball language is the same wherever," Francisco said.

Last season, the 6-foot-1 Francisco led the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference in scoring, averaging 19.5 points per game.

He committed to St. Mary's (Calif.) but then he learned the Gaels had signed a fantastic freshman guard from Australia -- Patrick Mills, who recently scored 37 points in the Gaels' upset of Oregon. St. Mary's allowed Francisco to reopen his recruiting.

Robert Morris jumped in after Burns called coach Mike Rice.

"[Burns] said, 'Hey, I have the leading scorer in the Jayhawk Conference,' " Rice said. "He was scrambling around trying to find him a [college]."

Rice did his due diligence researching Francisco and, a week later, Francisco visited and committed to Robert Morris.

"We had playing time for him," Rice said. "And [assistant coach] Jimmy Martelli did a great job making him feel comfortable."

Anything else?

"He thought Pittsburgh reminded him of Paris," Rice said. "So that's how we got Bateko."

Francisco debuted with nine points in the opener against Iona. He scored 12 at Seton Hall. He had 11 points in the win against Howard Saturday, hitting three 3-pointers in the first half to help stake the Colonials to a 17-point lead.

"I'm so pleased with what he brings -- the depth, the minutes [21 per game] and everything [else] he adds," Rice said. "He scores seven or eight points a game, shoots a pretty good percentage [38.9 from 3-point range] and always -- always -- he's in the right spot defensively."