Southern Miss women’s basketball coach Joye Lee-McNelis announced Tuesday that the 20245-25 season will be the last of her 34-year head coaching career.
McNelis has led the Lady Eagles for the last 21 years, each season further cementing her into a Southern Miss institution and one of the athletic program’s winningest names. She first did so as a player under Kay James, helping Southern Miss to its first-ever postseason appearance in 1981 in her freshman year.
Four years later, McNelis finished her career with the second-most points scored in school history.
The Leetown, Miss. native then moved on to a coaching career that began at Texas State. After two years in San Marcos, McNelis returned to her alma mater as an assistant under her former head coach James. She quickly established herself as one of the game’s brightest young assistants.
That reputation earned her the heading coach job at Memphis, then Memphis State, at just 28 years old in 1991. McNelis led the Tigers to four NCAA Tournament appearances in 13 seasons, totaling 229 wins. The already-prolific path once again led the former Golden Eagle home.
McNelis took over the reins in Hattiesburg on May 14, 2004, and has been there ever since as the fourth head coach in program history. Across the stretch spanning more than two decades, McNelis guided the Lady Eagles to more than 300 wins, a regular season title, and multiple postseason appearances.
𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗖𝗢𝗔𝗖𝗛
For the wins, for the memories, for everything. Thank you, Coach McNelis
A ceremony honoring Coach McNelis will be held during halftime of the men’s basketball game on Friday, Feb. 28.
🗞: https://t.co/LOzN1qAmg7#McNelisStrong | #SMTTT pic.twitter.com/TZMmV89SUm
— Southern Miss Lady Eagle Basketball (@SouthernMissWBB) February 25, 2025
After a Super 16 finish in the 2024 WNIT, McNelis was given the Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award from the United States Basketball Writers Association.
“I want to thank Joye and her family for their dedication to Southern Miss and to Lady Eagle basketball over the past 21 years,” Southern Miss Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain said. “Coach McNelis has had a significant impact as a leader in our university community and throughout college basketball. I wish her well on the next chapter of her journey and thank her for the immense impact she had leading our program.”
The veteran bench boss’ longstanding battle with cancer sparked the “McNelis Strong” mantra that reverberated across the college women’s basketball landscape. McNelis was first diagnosed with lung cancer in 2017 and has continued to lead the Lady Eagles even through multiple recurrences of the disease.
“Coaching at Southern Miss has been more than just a profession – it has been a dream realized,” McNelis said in an open letter to the Southern Miss fanbase. “From the time I was a young girl, basketball has shaped my life in immeasurable ways, and having the opportunity to lead this program has been one of my greatest honors.”
The full statement by McNelis can be read here.
According to the athletic department, a national search for McNelis’ successor will begin immediately.
