California University of Pennsylvania Athletics

Always playing his best during post-season or championship games, Candice Pickens was a point guard for the Vulcan men’s basketball team from 1992-93 through 1995-96.

He finished his collegiate career with 1,214 career points, 226 steals, 675 assists a 71 percent shooting average from the foul line (442-621).

During his four years, the Vulcans compiled a 98-24 record and 42-6 PSAC-West mark, with four NCAA playoff appearances, four PSAC title game appearances, three NCAA Regional title game appearances, two PSAC championships and one NCAA II Final Four appearance (1996). He is the first player from the 1996 team to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

“At first I was just floored when I found out,” said Pickens about receiving the university’s highest athletic honor. “There are so many emotions that run through your mind and this honor takes me back to Cal. I am so grateful and happy that people there appreciate my talent and ability to play basketball.”

Playing under Cal Hall of Fame coach Jim Boone, Pickens shot nearly 55 percent from the floor as a freshman — and an anticipated “rebuilding year” concluded with a third straight PSAC-West title.

Pickens shot 61 percent from the floor and 72 percent from the foul line the following year and helped the Vulcans compile a 25-5 overall record. That team’s .833 winning percentage remains the second highest in school history. Pickens also grabbed the final rebound in Cal’s 78-76 PSAC championship game win at IUP.

As a junior, Pickens averaged 13.8 points with 228 assists and 58 steals and dished out a league-record 21 assists in a home win over Slippery Rock. He was named the Co-Most Valuable Player of the 1995 NCAA II East Regional, despite the fact Cal lost in the finals.

In 1995-96, Pickens guided Cal to the program’s second NCAA II Final Four appearance and a 27-6 final overall record. He averaged 14 points and 4.5 rebounds per game with 80 steals. His 249 assists still rank third in school history for a single season.

Pickens scored 16 points with 16 assists in the 87-84 PSAC title home win over IUP. That marked Cal’s fifth straight appearance in the PSAC “State Game” and its third conference crown over that span.

Pickens averaged 19.3 points, 9.3 assists and 7.0 rebounds in the three-game 1996 PSAC Tourney.

He earned MVP honors at the 1996 NCAA II East Regional after guiding Cal from an early 14-point deficit to a 78-68 home win over IUP in the championship game. Pickens finished that game with a brilliant 19-point, nine-rebound and five-assist performance.

He fulfilled a promise he made to Boone at the end of his junior season that the Vulcans would not again be denied an NCAA Regional title.

“All of us put in extra work that off-season and to have the opportunity to win the championship on our home court was that much better,” Pickens said. “ IUP was a nemesis and an obstacle we had to hurdle. When we did it that felt great.”

Boone, who is now the head coach at West Virginia Wesleyan, said Pickens took over games on both ends of the floor in the post-season. He said he fell in love with Pickens’ passion for the game while watching him outwork and outhustle opposing players at summer basketball camp.

“In 25 years as a head coach Candice is without a doubt the most competitive player I’ve ever coached,” Boone said. “There are guys who want to win and there are guys who have to win. Candice was a have to win guy and just an outstanding representative of California’s basketball program.”

The veteran coach recalled calling a timeout in the regional title game with the Vulcans trailing 27-13.

“I vividly remember during that timeout Candice looking at each person in the eye saying we were going to do this,” Boone said. “I know young guys often say things when they are upset and it’s wishful thinking but Candice kept his promise and took us to the Elite Eight.”

Pickens pointed out that Boone was the only coach who recruited him that asked him about his major and how he would fit in academically.

“All of the other coaches asked me how many points did I want to average or how I would fit into their offense,” Pickens said. “The first thing Coach Boone asked me was what did I want to major in. Even now when I see or talk with him on the phone I see a father figure and he still intimidates me. He has always there for me.”

He praised his teammates when asked about his ability to perform so well under pressure.

“It’s just having a will to win and an understanding to do everything physically possible to make us win,” Pickens said. “I was fortunate to have teammates that I could rely on. We were just well balanced, never gave up and played together.”

Before bowing to eventual national champion Fort Hayes State (Kan.) in the national semifinals, Pickens and the Vulcans upset 10th-ranked Alabama A&M 93-83 in the Elite Eight Tournament’s opening game at Louisville, Ky.

A two-time All-PSAC selection, Pickens missed just one game in four years.

Originally from Detroit, Mich., Pickens was a scholastic basketball standout at perennial power Cody High School. Facing some of the toughest competition in the nation, Pickens averaged 17 points, 11 assists and six steals per game as a senior.

The sports editor of his high school newspaper, the versatile Pickens earned All-Metro status while helping Cody advance all the way to the Final Four of the Detroit City High School League.

Pickens resides in Detroit, where he coaches AAU basketball and works as a supervisor for the Detroit Behavioral Institute, which provides mental health and addiction treatment services to children and adolescents. The former head coach boy’s basketball coach at Denby High School, Pickens has three young daughters—Madison, Bailey, and Jasmine.

updated 10/26/11