The mother of Georgia basketball coach Tom Crean, Marjorie Crean, has died after a long illness.

“My sister Michelle and our family are incredibly fortunate to have my mom as a mother and a grandmother,” Crean said in a school release.

“Her perseverance and toughness were huge characteristics in her life, and she carried those with her until the very end,” he said. “We could never thank her enough for giving us the wherewithal and the courage to pursue our dreams with an incredible passion she instilled in each of us.”

Crean traveled to Michigan last Friday to be with his 80-year-old mother, returning last Saturday to coach the Bulldogs at Auburn.

Crean, in his first year as UGA’s head coach, has let Georgia know he does not plan on missing any games.

The Bulldogs play host to Florida at noon Saturday in the second of five consecutive sellouts at Stegeman Coliseum.

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