Corey Pickett taking over as CHS head basketball coach

Clovis High School on Thursday announced Corey Pickett will take over as head basketball coach for Josh Mattox.

Pickett has been a CHS assistant coach since 2020 and the district's fine arts director for the last two years. Pickett was also a candidate for the position in 2018 when the program looked to replace Scott Robinson after he resigned. 

"After interviewing (Pickett), we determined he was the best fit for our program," CHS Athletic Director Lonnie Baca told The News, citing Pickett's "familiarity with the program. His previous involvement with the program.

"He's someone who the kids knew already, we (hiring committee) knew already, so I think it was a really good decision we made to give him this opportunity."

Pickett, who'll continue his position as director of fine arts, will be tasked with continuing CHS' recent upswing. In their previous three seasons, the Wildcats went 22-48, but soared to a 20-9 overall record in 2024 and finished as the 18th best team in New Mexico, according to MaxPreps. 

Pickett's contract calls for a $16,000 coaching stipend. It'll start in November and end at the conclusion of the state tournament, Baca said. 

Baca said last week that Mattox resigned following the team's 74-50 loss to Albuquerque High School in the first round of the Class 5A state tournament.

"We pretty much gave that one away. We were dealing with some 'cultural' issues all week, and when that happens things might not go as you had planned," Mattox told The News after the loss.

Baca said Mattox told him he was leaving due to "personal reasons he needed to get taken care of."

Baca said he was surprised by Mattox's resignation.

Pickett has been involved with the district since 2001, fulfilling roles in arts, sports and administration. 

A Georgia transplant, Pickett arrived in the area after he enlisted in the Air Force. 

"I was an airplane mechanic, crew chief on the F-111s and F16s (jets)," Pickett told The News in 2023. 

Pickett attended Eastern New Mexico University where he met his wife and obtained a bachelor's degree in fine arts and a master's in education. He also has a master's in fine arts from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Pickett couldn't immediately be reached for comment late last week. 

Baca said CHS is in the process of hiring an assistant coach. 

Entering the 2024-25 season, CHS must replace several key graduating players. That list is headlined by Marvin Cox, who led CHS in points (15.4), rebounds (11.4), blocks (3.1) and steals (1.3) per game; Manuel Gutierrez, who led CHS with 4.2 assists per game; and Keilyn Parker, who averaged the third-most points (10.1), assists (2.4) and rebounds (3.6).