Ashland University head women's basketball coach
Kari Pickens will be one of six Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) honorees on Saturday (March 22) at the state boys basketball tournament, as part of the 2025 Circle of Champions class.
Pickens was a freshman and sophomore during back-to-back state girls basketball championships at River View High School, and a senior for a state runner-up finish. She earned two first-team All-Ohio selections, and was the division Player of the Year.
As a collegiate player, Pickens began at Division I Dayton, then transferred to Ashland, where, in just two seasons, she helped the Eagles to an NCAA Division II national runner-up finish and a national championship. She recorded 1,414 points and 903 rebounds in those two campaigns, she has the D-II women's basketball record for most consecutive games with a double-double in a career (34), and still claims Eagle program records for single-game rebounds (24), single-season points (744), single-season rebounds (492), single-season rebounding average (14.1) and career scoring average (21.8).
Pickens' playing accolades included being named two-time Honda Sports Award D-II Female Athlete of the Year, 2013 Capital One Female Student-Athlete Academic All-American of the Year, 2013 Capital One Women's Basketball Academic All-American of the Year, two-time Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) National Player of the Year, two-time WBCA first-team All-American, 2013 D-II Elite Eight Most Outstanding Player, two-time Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year and 2013 GLIAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Following a stint as an AU assistant coach, during which she was named WBCA D-II Assistant Coach of the Year in 2016-17 and earned one of the WBCA's inaugural "Thirty Under 30" awards in 2015-16, she became the program's head coach in April of 2018.
Since then, Ashland has been 205-21 (.907) under Pickens' tutelage, winning a D-II national title, six conference tournament and five conference regular-season championships, and getting the Eagles to the D-II tournament every season.
Pickens is the only woman in D-II basketball history to win a title as a player, assistant coach and head coach.
Joining Pickens in the 2025 Circle of Champions class is her sister, Kristin Ronai, as well as Dr. Aaron Craft, Jacy Sheldon, Hunter Armstrong and Phil Bova. They all will be honored at halftime of the Division VII state title game at 5:15 p.m. between Willoughby Cornerstone Christian (21-8) vs. Russia (28-0).
