"Originally," McCullough said, "I never thought I would be at Carencro for more than 5 years. I had a desire to coach women’s basketball on the college level, then work my way up to athletic administration at the college level.

"I got my masters (degree) in athletic administration. It was something I always wanted to do. I absolutely love the work I do now. I never thought it would take 16 years."

McCullough posted a 280-121 record in 14 years at the helm in Carencro, winning three district titles, reaching the playoffs 11 times and having 13 winning seasons.

In her first year at Abbeville, her Lady Cats shared the district title with St. Thomas More. The second year at AHS featured multiple responsibilities, including assistant principal and assistant athletic director roles in addition to head girls coach.

When a third spot opened in LHSAA management in 2007, and Kenny Henderson was in line as the next commissioner, it was time for another challenge.

"We’re in the middle (at the LHSAA)," McCullough said. "It’s a principals’ organization. They make the rules, and we enforce them. We’re always having to say, ‘No,’ or ‘You broke a rule.’ To some we’re viewed as bad people.

"There are days I miss that interaction with young people, going over a game plan, looking at film, seeing the excitement in their eyes and to have that preparation pay off with a win. The joy I got was to see that light bulb go off when they got it."

McCullough was a natural shooter and admits it’s hard to make a shooter when that talent is missing.

But there  is more to scoring than an unerring eye. "There is natural ability with that, but you have to work on your speed and quickness, getting open to release your shot, the moves you make once you get the ball," she said. "There were many hours in the gym with me and Kim.

"When I was young, I was coached by my dad. He only rebounded my ‘makes.’ If I missed, I had to run the ball down. I did have God-given ability, but I had to work at it."

The Pitkin product also learned from Quita Sue Antony, her high school coach, and studied collegiate legends like Leon Barmore and Sonja Hoag of La. Tech and Tennessee’s Pat Head Summitt. She was still learning while coaching.

"You have to step back and realize that each student-athlete learns differently," she said. "You can just tell one, but you have to show another. One, you’ll tell one or two times, another, it might be four or five."

The real surprise to some was that McCullough’s teams were built on defense, not lights-out marksmanship. "My teams played defense, out-rebounded you and had more free throws," she said. "I drilled it into them that we created our offense through defense."

That passion for coaching remains, but McCullough’s energies are now channeled into helping in other ways. And she hasn’t shut the door on college work. "In our profession, you’re always looking, always striving to be better," she said. "I thought it would always be neat to make a difference at that (college) level. College athletics bridges the gap from childhood to adulthood.

"Kids are bombarded. I see it in high school sports. Kids are pushed to specialize. (Some) parents think if they don’t get a scholarship to a Division 1 program, it’s all been a failure. Then they get there to college, and there’s no guidance and there are dangers of a whole lot of money. "Administration at that level can still have an impact."

For now, McCullough is content making a difference with the LHSAA, facing such issues as sportsmanship, home-schooled athletes being allowed to play prep sports, new rules on concussions, reclassification and the location of the state basketball tournaments.

It’s a full plate, but McCullough has learned to take it a step at a time.