UT Arlington men’s basketball head coach KT Turner has finalized his third assistant coach position with the hiring of former Division-I student-athlete Keith Pickens.
Pickens, 32, spent the previous five seasons (2018-23) in the same position at Southeast Missouri, helping lead the Redhawks to the NCAA Tournament last month after SEMO won its first Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title in 23 years.
SEMO became the first No. 5 seed in OVC Tournament history to win the championship, and did so by claiming four victories in four days, including triumphs over the top-2 seeds. The Redhawks upended No. 2 Tennessee Tech in overtime, 89-82, to punch their ticket to March Madness.
“Keith is an extremely hard worker, and an eager, determined coach who has built great relationships throughout the Midwest,” said Turner of the St. Louis native who played at Missouri State. “He was a great player in his own right, and those skills will translate over to helping our guys on the floor in their skill development.”
As a result of Pickens’ leadership, SEMO has had representation on both the OVC First Team and OVC Second Team in each of the past two seasons, marking the first time that has occurred in even a single year since 2016-17.
In 2021-22, Pickens helped guide SEMO to its first OVC Tournament semifinal appearance in 17 years and just the fourth in program history (now five following this past season). Despite facing an uncertain 2020-21 COVID-impacted season, the Redhawks won six more conference games than they did in 2019-20; the nine league victories matched the program’s most in a season in 20 years.
In a testament to the importance Pickens played at SEMO, he was the lone assistant coach carry-over from a head coaching change following the 2019-20 season – his second full year on staff after joining the Redhawks in 2018-19.
Pickens spent two years (2016-18) as an assistant coach at Missouri State before joining SEMO in Cape Girardeau. He was instrumental in the player development of Alize Johnson, who was drafted 50th overall by the Indiana Pacers in 2018. Johnson was the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year in 2017 and was a two-time MVC First Team selection.
Prior to his time as a coach with the Bears, Pickens was a player at Missouri State from 2009-14, and then served as the team’s graduate manager for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.
Pickens appeared in 19 games as a forward his senior year at Missouri State in 2013-14 at the end of an injury-laden career that saw him register 568 points and 253 rebounds in 111 games. At the time of his graduation, Pickens ranked 10th in school history in blocked shots (70), and he led the Bears in rebounding a total of 24 games during his career.
Pickens was part of the 2010 CIT Championship team (CollegeInsiders.com Postseason Tournament) his freshman season, and was a member of the 2011 MVC regular-season title squad although a knee injury sidelined him for that campaign. His best season came in in 2012-13 when he started 19 games, scored a career-high 183 points and grabbed 142 rebounds. Pickens also led the team in rebounding average (4.7).
After his junior season, Pickens announced his intentions to retire from basketball, but progress over the summer of 2013 and a desire to play an impactful senior season led him to return to the Bears’ rotation as a fifth-year senior. Although he did not play in the 2014 CIT, Pickens helped lead MSU to its first 20-win campaign and postseason appearance in three years.
Pickens graduated from Missouri State with an undergraduate degree in Sports Administration in 2013. He completed his master’s degree in Sports Management from MSU in 2016.
Pickens is the third, and final, assistant coach tabbed by Turner, joining Jeremy Pope and Sean Stout. Additional staffing hires will continue to be announced over the coming days and weeks.
