Southern Miss women’s basketball head coach Joye Lee-McNelis has been named this year’s winner of the Pat Summit Most Courageous Award.
McNelis, who is battling cancer, fought through and continued to coach her team. While juggling treatments, practices, and games, the longtime coach also got word in November that her father had passed away. Only stepping away for one game this season, McNelis led the Lady Eagles to a WNIT appearance that ended in the Super 16 last week.
McNelis will be honored by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) on Friday during a luncheon in Cleveland, Ohio, where she will be presented with the award named after legendary Tennessee head coach Pat Summit.
“I am truly honored to even be mentioned alongside such a great name as Pat Summit,” Lee-McNelis said. “I am thankful that the USBWA has recognized me as courageous but believe my faith in God, trust in my doctors, and belief in my wonderful coaching staff allowed me to focus on my own battles off the court this season. To me, the greatest award I have today is being able to wake up each day and continue to coach young women in the game I love.”
McNelis is in her third battle against adenocarcinoma after being diagnosed just weeks before the season. She began receiving treatments in September and has used her platform to advocate for cancer awareness. Her team hosted a Play4Kay game in February, which raised money for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
“Joye’s willingness to make public the details of her diagnosis and treatments, her consistent efforts to encourage and support other patients, and the example she has set by continuing to coach her team is an inspiration to us all,” USBWA executive director Malcolm Moran said.
Over her career in Hattiesburg, McNelis is 329-287 and recently led Southern Miss to back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in nearly a decade.
