MOBILE, Ala. — The University of Mobile announced the cancellation of classes on Wednesday following the tragic death of a freshman basketball player on campus.
Kaiden Francis, an 18-year-old guard standing at 6-foot-2 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, collapsed on Tuesday morning. He was discovered unresponsive soon after completing a weekly workout session with the coaching staff and trainers of the university, according to a spokesperson, Kathy Dean.
“Despite the immediate and heroic actions taken by peers and medical responders, Kaiden did not regain consciousness and unfortunately passed away,” said Dr. Charles Smith, President of the University of Mobile, in a public statement. “Our community mourns this profound loss.”
The details surrounding the cause of death remain unclear, but it was noted that Francis had recently successfully completed a series of health screenings, which included cardiovascular and pulmonary assessments. Dean mentioned that “there were no indicators of any health issues” in those evaluations. Further comments will be withheld in respect for the family during this difficult time.
To honor his memory, a two-hour memorial service was held across the campus on Wednesday, and the scheduled basketball game against Southern University at New Orleans was postponed. Classes are expected to resume on Thursday.
“My family and I had the honor of watching Kaiden compete just last week,” Smith stated. “He was exceptionally talented and dearly cherished by his teammates. Unsurprisingly, Kaiden’s family, along with coaches and teammates, are utterly devastated and in need of our prayers.”
The Rams, currently ranked No. 24, are coming off a strong victory where they defeated No. 20 Life University with a score of 81-49 on Saturday. This win improved their season record to 6-0 and their conference play to 2-0. Francis contributed to this success by scoring 10 points off the bench in that outing.