Teammates form support system for Lady Bear amidst family tragedy

In December, reporters covering the Baylor women’s basketball team had the sad duty of reporting that junior Morghan Medlock‘s mother, Shannan Barron, had been shot and killed by Barron’s boyfriend; Medlock’s 12-year-old brother found the bodies.

As Medlock grieved, her teammates grieved with her. Head coach Kim Mulkey spoke at Barron’s memorial service. Baylor set up an NCAA-approved fund to assist Medlock and her family. And through it all, Medlock (pictured here with Jessica Morrow) found solace in basketball and in her teammates.

The fifth-ranked Lady Bears begin NCAA Tournament play Sunday at 8:30 p.m. against UTSA on ESPN2, and ESPN.com has a very moving story about what Medlock and the team have gone through this season. The entire story is worth reading (though you might want to have some Kleenex handy), but in particular, I wanted to share these quotes from Medlock.

“The support system I have at Baylor has helped me grow, and it’s let me know that there are people who are going to take care of you on the days you can’t take care of yourself… I just thank God for this university.”

Sic ’em, Morghan and Baylor women’s basketball!