Advertisement

St. Louis University men's basketball assistant Ford Stuen dies at 29

CHESTNUT HILL, MA - NOVEMBER 27: Saint Louis Billikens assistant coach Ford Stuen and director of basketball operations Michael Wilson before a game between the Boston College Eagles and the Saint Louis Billikens on November 27, 2019, at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Saint Louis Billikens assistant coach Ford Stuen (L) had been with the team for five seasons. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

St. Louis University assistant men's basketball coach Ford Stuen died Tuesday. He was 29.

Stuen became ill during the end of the 2020-21 basketball season and had been hospitalized since early April. According to KSDK, Stuen had a stomach infection and had been treated with antibiotics and was even put into a medically induced coma at one point.

Stuen is survived by his wife Courtney and his stepdaughter Lucy. Courtney is pregnant with a boy due in August.

"Words cannot begin to express the pain and sorrow we are all experiencing right now," SLU athletic director Chris May said in a statement. "Everyone associated with our program knew Ford as someone who was fully invested in working for the betterment of our student-athletes. His passion, positivity, and amazing outlook on life are things we will all take with us. Our hearts go out to Courtney, Lucy, and Ford's wonderful family. Please keep the Stuen family, as well as Travis Ford and the Ford family, in your thoughts and prayers."

Stuen recently completed his second season as an assistant coach for the Billikens. He had served as the team’s director of player development for three seasons before he was promoted to assistant coach in 2019.

SLU said in his bio that he primarily worked with the team’s guards on the court and was heavily involved in scouting and statistical analysis. He was named one of the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ 30 under 30 in 2020.

Stuen is the nephew of St. Louis head coach Travis Ford. He played for Ford while Ford was the coach at Oklahoma State. St. Louis was 14-7 in 2020-21 after going 23-8 in 2019-20.

More from Yahoo Sports: