After 21 seasons on the job in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Joye Lee-McNelis is stepping away from the Southern Miss sidelines. The Golden Eagles introduced Tuesday afternoon that McNelis, 62, is retiring after 4 many years in teaching.
McNelis – who additionally performed at Southern Miss, ending her stint on the court docket as this system’s second all-time main scorer – started her profession as an assistant coach at Texas State, then returned to the Golden Eagles as an assistant and helped them make three NCAA Event appearances. In 1991, she took the reins at Memphis at simply the age of 28 and led the Tigers to 4 March Insanity bids.
In 2004, McNelis returned to Southern Miss – changing into simply the fourth head coach in program historical past – and has been there ever since. She led the Golden Eagles to the Solar Belt common season title in 2023, their first season within the league, and final 12 months was honored with the Pat Summitt Most Brave Award by the U.S. Basketball Writers Affiliation for teaching Southern Miss to a 20-win season and a WNIT look whereas taking up her third battle with most cancers.
McNelis retires with 567 wins, two convention Coach of the Yr awards and 14 postseason appearances. Her win whole places her at thirty eighth all-time amongst all Division I ladies’s basketball coaches.
“Teaching at Southern Miss has been greater than only a occupation — it has been a dream realized,” McNelis stated in a press release. “From the time I used to be a younger lady, basketball has formed my life in immeasurable methods, and having the chance to steer this program has been one among my biggest honors. Extra than simply the Xs and Os, this journey has been about constructing relationships, mentoring younger ladies and watching them develop into assured, profitable people each on and off the court docket.”
Southern Miss is simply 9-19 this season and it’s unclear what this system will seem like sooner or later with out McNelis’ presence.
However many in teaching circles see the Solar Belt as a league that may be a stepping stone to a greater job.
“You’ll be able to persuade your self that you would be able to climb to the highest 5 in that league fairly rapidly,” one longtime school assistant coach instructed SB Nation. “If Troy generally is a mainstay, why not Southern Miss? … Now, funding issues.”
Certainly, according to the Hattiesburg American, McNelis made lower than $200,000 per 12 months. For comparability at one other Solar Belt faculty, James Madison’s Sean O’Regan makes $255,505 per 12 months, in accordance to the Virginian Pilot. O’Regan led the Dukes to an NCAA Event look in 2023 and is eyeing a second journey this March. The Dukes are 25-4 total, undefeated in convention play and receiving votes within the AP High 25 Ballot.
However success within the Solar Belt can result in greater and higher issues. After only one season at Marshall, the place she went 26-7 and made the NCAA Event, Kim Caldwell received the Tennessee job. It’s probably that O’Regan would possibly get a name or two this offseason about Energy 4 openings too.
The Solar Belt will also be a spot the place, in case you merely win greater than you lose, you may get pleasure from an excellent little bit of job safety. McNelis was at Southern Miss for greater than twenty years and by no means made an NCAA Event. Chanda Rigby has a 61.8 successful proportion and three March Insanity berths in 13 seasons at Troy.
All that stated, right here’s a number of names that make sense to succeed McNelis.
Ayla Guzzardo
About two hours southwest of Hattiesburg in Hammond, Louisiana, Guzzardo is having fun with success at Southeastern Louisiana and simply captured her second common season convention title. After the Lions had dropping information in 22 of their final 24 seasons, Guzzardo has guided them to 5 straight successful campaigns. Moreover, SE Louisiana’s lone NCAA Event berth got here below her watch in 2023. A Louisiana native who performed and served as an assistant coach at Akron, Guzzardo has confirmed that she will win on the mid-major degree on this geographic footprint.
Itoro Coleman
A local of Georgia and an All-ACC star at Clemson, Coleman has coached everywhere in the nation over the previous 25 years, from Butler to Penn State to Marquette to North Carolina to now at Virginia Tech, the place she’s the affiliate head coach below Megan Duffy. Coleman’s earlier tenure as a head coach was a tough one – the place she went 25-63 in three seasons main her alma mater – however she’s an excellent recruiter and has a knack for working with guards. Final offseason, she was a finalist for the opening at Stony Brook, however the gig in the end went to Pleasure McCorvey. Southern Miss might be a strong match if Coleman nonetheless desires to sit down within the first seat on the bench.
Courtney Simmons
Southern Miss athletic director Jeremy McClain was the AD at Troy when Simmons – as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator – helped the Trojans go to a pair of NCAA Tournaments. She helped Troy punch a ticket to the Large Dance yet one more time as an understudy of Rigby earlier than leaving for the pinnacle teaching gig at Grambling State the place she guided the Tigers to a 23-10 mark final season – their most wins since 1999 – and a berth within the WNIT. A tricky non-conference slate will forestall Grambling from having a sterling total document this season, however they’re 8-6 within the SWAC. A local of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who performed at Louisville, Simmons is aware of the south, is aware of the Solar Belt and is aware of tips on how to coach.
