Changing landscapes in college athletics drives coaches away from the game

NATCHITOCHES, La. (KSLA) - “The older you get, you know things are going to change.”

After 15 years, Donald Pickett did just that. The longtime Northwestern State softball coach is stepping away from the city he loves and the sport he adores, for now.

“There’s been a lot of change, " says Pickett. “So much change, so quick, in the sport and in college athletics, and in the building. My kids are getting to be a little older. I want to be around them.”

As Pickett makes time for his own family, the harsh reality is many programs are still adapting to the new world of name, image and likeness as well as the transfer portal.

“It’s made the job a lot more time consuming on the recruiting end of it, " says Pickett. “We can’t get caught up on the NLI stuff because we just don’t have the resources.”

It’s not a player issue.

“You cannot blame them for doing what they’re doing, " says Pickett. “The system has allowed for all of this to explode so quick. Not everybody knew or had enough guidelines, I guess, around it to control it a little bit more. It’s the world we’re in. You got to adapt to that.”

It makes constructing a program over time, nearly impossible.

“20 years ago, as a coach, every coach in the country is saying, ‘I’m going to recruit this team, and I’m losing this kid next year, and I’ve got to recruit this position to replace her.’ You’re trying to build a team to be the best they can be over a four-year period of time. Five years from now, it’s going to be year-to-year.”

“After two straight NCAA tournament appearances, 390-plus victories, and millions of memories Donald Pickett is spending more time with his biggest fans.

“The kids that came through here, and spent four years here, they worked for everything they’ve got, " says an emotional Pickett. “We had to do a lot more with less. Those kids and families helped us so much.”

Copyright 2023 KSLA. All rights reserved.