Southeast Missouri State University Athletics

Keith Pickens begins his fifth year as an assistant coach at Southeast Missouri.

Pickens joined the SEMO men’s basketball program on May 29, 2018. He spent two years as an assistant at Missouri State before coming to Cape Girardeau.

A native of St. Louis, Pickens started his coaching career as a full-time assistant with the Bears in June 2016. Prior to that, he was an on-court standout at Missouri State from 2009-14, and then served as the team’s graduate manager for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.

Pickens 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 earned two-time First-Team All-MVC accolades.

Pickens played 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. He ranked 10th in school history in blocked shots (70) and led the Bears in rebounding a total of 24 times during his career.

Pickens was part of the 2010 CIT championship team his freshman season and was a member of the 2011 Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship squad, although a knee injury sidelined him for the 2011 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 in 2016.