Beyond the final buzzer

For Robbie Graham, the twice daily neighborhood walks with his beagle, Sky, give him some rare moments of quiet and solitude. That is, until his cell phone rings — and rings frequently — with decisions to make as leader of the champion girls’ basketball team at George Rogers Clark High School.

“To win a state championship in Kentucky, it’s hard, an extremely difficult thing to do,” Robbie said. “Finish every play, every goal, finish with intention.”

Robbie, who is in his 15th year as the girls’ basketball coach, requires a high level of dedication from all of his players and focuses on caring for the whole individual. “I tell the parents every year, I’m going to work your daughter really hard, but I’m going to love her more,” he said.

His practices are illustrative of that philosophy. They’re full of loud directives and tough drills, making sure to show the players ways to improve when he sees it, but always supportive and reassuring after practice.

“Coach Graham is very intense; he knows what he expects from us and we know how to deliver that to him,” said Kennedy Stamper, a six-year varsity starter now at the University of Cincinnati. “He expects a lot from us and pushes us to do our best so that we can be the best player on and off the court.”

Off the court, Robbie is an at-risk mentor at the high school, where he works with experience-based learning, helping students succeed at their work/study placements. “Above all, even basketball, I cherish being a role model; the wins don’t matter when you are making a difference in people’s lives,” he said.

The passion for basketball is a Graham family affair. Robbie and his wife, Deena, have over the years supported their children’s basketball ambitions. Their daughter, Lexxus Graham-Blincoe, was a junior when her dad took over as head coach. She played basketball in college, and eventually returned to GRC as an assistant coach under her dad before landing a head assistant coach job at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau.

“He taught me to strive to be better than the day before, as a coach and as a player,” Lexxus said. Her brother, Jordan, 25, joined his dad’s coaching staff in 2026. Together, they’re preparing for another successful season. Both on and of the court.