The grandmother of Baylor junior guard Moon Ursin has died in the New Orleans area after being infected with the coronavirus.
Ruby Alexander, 79, died Tuesday night. Ursin was the youngest of her nine grandchildren.
Lady Bears coach Kim Mulkey, selected Saturday as part of the 2020 class for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, said she has been in contact with Ursin and her family daily.
The initial call came from Ursin's mother, Erica, and then Mulkey spoke with Ursin.
"You comfort through a phone as best you can," said Mulkey, also a Louisiana native. "... We're humans. In Louisiana, we're touchy-feely people, and we want to hug ... and we can't do that."
Mulkey said Alexander, who she described as "vivacious," spent weeks at a time in Waco, Texas, and attended many Baylor games.
"[Her grandmother] was just here for family night," said Mulkey, who added that Alexander was proud of Ursin.
Erica Ursin learned Saturday that she tested negative for COVID-19, but Mulkey said other family members have tested positive.
"So your concern [level] is what it is with all people that you love and know," Mulkey said.
The defending national champion Lady Bears were expected to be a No. 1 seed in the women's NCAA Tournament before it was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. This year's Final Four was supposed to be this weekend in New Orleans, less than 25 miles from Destrehan High School, where Ursin became the only Louisiana player to be named Gatorade Player of the Year three times.
Information from ESPN's Mechelle Voepel and The Associated Press was used in this report.
