College basketball player Kaiden Francis dead at 18 after collapsing on campus

University of Mobile (Ala.) freshman Kaiden Francis died Tuesday at the age of 18 after collapsing on campus, school President Charles Smith announced in a letter to faculty, staff and students.Smith praised the “quick and heroic efforts of students and medical professionals” and said “our heart are heavy as we process this tragedy.”The school canceled classes Wednesday and had a vigil scheduled for that day.“My family and I had the privilege of watching Kaiden play just last week,” Smith wrote.“He was profoundly gifted and clearly loved by his teammate.

As you can imagine, Kaiden’s family, coaches, and teammates are heartbroken and need our prayers.”Francis, a 6-foot-2 guard from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., averaged 5.5 points on 42.4 percent shooting spanning six games this season for the Rams.He tallied a career-best 10 points in his last game on Nov.16 against Life University.Mobile coach Darnell Archey posted a heartfelt note on Facebook about Francis.“Yesterday morning Kaiden Francis, freshman point guard from Fort Lauderdale unexpectedly passed away after doing what he loved to do, working on his craft in the gym,” Archey wrote.

“Kaiden was just scratching the surface on the court but his smile and positive energy could be felt from day 1.“He will be truly missed and I can’t thank him enough for being apart of my life over the past few months.My heart aches for his family, friends and teammates.”...