College of Cellular (Ala.) freshman Kaiden Francis died Tuesday on the age of 18 after collapsing on campus, faculty President Charles Smith introduced in a letter to college, workers and college students.
Smith praised the “quick and heroic efforts of students and medical professionals” and mentioned “our heart are heavy as we process this tragedy.”
The college canceled lessons 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 factors on 42.4 % capturing spanning six video games this season for the Rams.
He tallied a career-best 10 factors in his final sport on Nov. 16 towards Life College.
Cellular coach Darnell Archey posted a heartfelt be aware on Fb 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 simply scratching the floor on the courtroom however his smile and optimistic power could possibly 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.”
