Christina Mauser: Basketball Coach, Wife, Mother Remembered

CORONA DEL MAR, CA — At Mamba Sports Academy, basketball coach Christina Mauser was called the "mother of defense." One day after her death in a fatal helicopter crash, her husband, Matt Mauser, now faces raising their three young children without her.

Christina Mauser was one of nine people who died in Sunday's helicopter crash in Calabasas. The other victims were pilot Ara Zobayan; basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, 13; John Altobelli, his wife, Keri Altobelli, and their daughter Alyssa Altobelli; and Sarah Chester, 45, and her daughter Payton Chester, 13. The flight took off from John Wayne Airport in Orange County just after 9 a.m. Sunday into foggy skies and crashed in the hills of Calabasas.

According to her husband, Christina was the mother of three young children ages 11, 9 and 3.

Named as assistant coach at Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy, Christina also coached with Matt at Harbor Day School in Corona del Mar.

Harbor Day School officials said they were "devastated" by the news of Christina's death.

"We are mourning the loss of members of our community," a school spokesperson said. "Our priority is the well-being of our students. As news is (made public), we will ensure that our support team is made available to assist and counsel our students. We appreciate your patience and understanding."

Matt, a Huntington Beach musician and frontman of the Tijuana Dogs band, issued a statement on Facebook about Christina's death.

"My kids and I are devastated," he wrote. "We lost our beautiful wife and mom today in a helicopter crash."

While well-wishes were appreciated, the family asked for others to respect their privacy in their time of grief.