After more than three decades on the hardwood, guiding three schools to championship appearances, Lake Arthur girls head basketball coach Vickie Sketoe is hanging it up.

“It has been a journey of a lifetime,” Sketoe said. “There are a lot of great memories. I have met a lot of great kids, people, coaches and other people, like the media.

“The time I have gotten to know those people and just be around the kids has been everything I could have ever hoped for.”

In 30 seasons, she led Lakeview, Pickering and Lake Arthur to 11 semifinal appearances, won 711 games, was named the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 2A Coach of the Year in 2015 and ’21 and American Press All-Southwest Louisiana Small Schools Coach of the Year in 2015, ’17, ’18 and ’21.

“I think it is because I was always consistent in having structure,” Sketoe said. “The kids knew what to expect and having great kids and a great coaching staff to help.

“A friend of mine, Lisa Richard, helped me for years at Lakeview. Coach (Greg) Baggett and Fred (Sketoe) helped me at Pickering and down here and Gabby (Lejeune). They were great, loyal coworkers who gave everything they had to help the programs succeed. All that combined, it has been a sum of success with all that, but mostly just having good kids.”

Sketoe said there were many memorable moments.

“Of course winning state and getting to that state runner-up the first time ever at Lakeview,” Sketoe said. “Being able to coach my niece (Sami Thomas) at Pickering and coach my daughter (Vivian Sketoe) at Lake Arthur, those have been some happy moments.”

The Pickering native and former Northwestern State basketball player got her first head coach job at Converse. After one season, she went back to school to get her master’s degree. Her next head coach job was at Lakeview for 13 seasons before returning to Pickering. She took Lakeview to the Class 2A state final for the first time in program history in 2005.

“I just love the game,” Sketoe said. “When I first went to college, I was going to go into accounting, so I kind of double-majored just because I liked doing sports and everything. I just followed that.

“Once I got into coaching, I just loved it and I just stayed with it. I love sports and I love being around the kids and seeing them succeed.”

At Pickering, she led the Red Devils to five consecutive state tournament appearances, including a runner-up finish in 2015.

She spent the final nine seasons of her career at Lake Arthur. She led the Tigers to five state tournament appearances, twice to the finals and a state championship in 2021, the program’s first since 1976.