Ludlow High School boys basketball coach Aaron Stamm continues to pile up the victories. The coaching veteran notched career win No. 400 Tuesday with a 77-56 conquest of Bellevue, much to the amazement of his players.
“I think that’s a huge accomplishment,” said senior co-captain Spencer Brandenburg, who scored 16 points against Bellevue with 4-for-8 shooting from 3-point range. “That is definitely a lot of wins.”
Stamm reached the milestone during quarterfinal action at the 9th Region All “A” Classic basketball tournament in Dayton. Ludlow improved to 9-6 on the season with the win over the Tigers. Sophomore Gage Grider with 16 points shared team scoring leadership with Brandenburg, who leads Ludlow with 16.8 points per game. Grider averages 8.8 points.
The victory moved Stamm’s career mark to 400-229 in his 21st year of coaching. His ability to win games combined with significant history as a three-sport athlete at Ludlow earned him enshrinement in the Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.
“The wins are nice, no doubt,” Stamm said. “After the game kind of came a time of reflection. I’ve had a lot of players who’ve made me look good. I heard from several of them with congratulatory texts. So that’s the thing, the relationships you make. It was really nice to hear from those former players from Ludlow and Conner. When you hear from people like that, it’s meaningful.”
In 629 career games, Stamm has put together a winning percentage of .635. His teams have won at least 20 games in a season 12 times.
“I’m really proud of him for all that,” said senior co-captain Byron Conley, who scored 14 points against Bellevue. He averages 13.3. “I think he’s a really great coach here at Ludlow.”
Stamm is in his third stint as basketball coach at his alma mater. The Ludlow native coached the girls team for six seasons beginning in the 2004-05 season and won 104 games. He won at least 20 games four times, posted a .604 winning percentage and advanced to the 9th Region Tournament twice.
Stamm, a 1996 Ludlow graduate, moved to a bigger school when he was hired at Conner ahead of the 2010-11 girls season. He won 181 games in nine seasons. He won at least 20 games six times, recorded a winning percentage of .639 and made five regional tournament appearances. His last Conner squad finished 29-3 and was ranked No. 1 in Kentucky at the end of the regular season.
He returned to coach the Ludlow girls for the 2019-20 season. Stamm won 69 games in three years and advanced to the regional tournament each season. He reached 20 wins twice, won 19 games in the other and put together a .711 winning percentage.
After winning 354 games in 18 seasons as a girls coach, Stamm became Ludlow boys basketball coach ahead of the 2022-23 season, fulfilling a lifelong dream. He’s 46-31 so far in a little more than two seasons for a .597 winning percentage. The boys won 19 games his first season on the bench and 18 last season. Stamm has won 219 games as a Ludlow coach.
All of this has been accomplished before Stamm’s 47th birthday. At this rate, he could coach another 15 years and add another 300 wins if he maintains his career winning percentage. Such a pace would push him past 700 career wins and 500 at Ludlow.
But, first things first. The Ludlow boys play at Dayton Thursday night in a conference battle beginning at 7:30. The Panthers are back at Dayton on Friday at 6 p.m. to take on Newport in the semifinals of the 9th Region All “A” Classic Tournament. The Wildcats are defending region and state All “A” champions.
“All we’re trying to do is win the next game and get better,” Stamm said. “Our guys play pretty hard. Our tallest player is 6-1, so we are very small, and we have to do other things really well. We don’t have a true center and we don’t have a true point guard. But we’ve got five or six guys who can bring the ball up court. We’ve got some fast, athletic players so we like to run a lot and cause some chaos.”
Joseph Scott, another senior co-captain, likes the playing style. He’s third on the Panthers with 12.7 points per game and leads with 8.9 rebounds. He loves his coach and he was really digging the scene Tuesday after the milestone win over Bellevue.
“I think it’s awesome,” said Scott, who had a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds against the Tigers. “After every game, we’re just happy we get to play a game and get a win, but this was special.”
Ludlow has four seniors, all of them given captain status by coach Stamm, who led the Ludlow boys in scoring his senior year. Stamm was a leading 3-point shooter in Kentucky that season. He also played football and baseball at Ludlow, so he knows how leadership works.
“I love how he always says he bleeds Ludlow red and black,” said Matt Brock, yet another senior co-captain. He had six points and seven rebounds in Stamm’s 400th win.
“Our coach went to school here at Ludlow,” Brock continued. “He coaches here. It’s pretty cool.”