Saint Louis assistant Ford Stuen, a Kentucky native, dies from illness at age 29

Ford Stuen, a former Oklahoma State basketball player and assistant coach at Saint Louis University, tragically passed away on Tuesday. Stuen had been hospitalized with an illness for several weeks, reports say. He was only 29 years old.

Stuen was a native of Henderson, Kentucky, and as a high schooler he played guard for Henderson County and led the Colonels to a 20-6 record his senior year in 2011. He left home for a postgraduate year at IMG Academy in Florida, where he averaged 14 points as IMG’s starting shooting guard while playing against some of the best prep schools across the country.

After prep school, Stuen turned down Division I offers to play for his uncle, former Kentucky great Travis Ford, as a walk-on at Oklahoma State from 2012-16. When Ford took over as head coach at Saint Louis in 2016-17, Stuen went with him and served on his uncle’s staff the last five years, climbing the ranks from director of player development to full-time assistant coach two seasons ago.

Last summer after his first season as an SLU assistant coach, Stuen was named to the NABC’s 30 Under 30 watch list for up-and-comers in coaching.

He is survived by his wife, Courtney, a stepdaughter, Lucy, and a son due this fall.