Joye Lee-McNelis

Position: Head Coach Alma Mater: Southern Miss, 1984

The Leetown, Miss., native Joye Lee-McNelis was named The University of Southern Mississippi's fourth women's basketball coach on May 24, 2004. Lee-McNelis, one of the school's all-time basketball greats, was the fifth Lady Eagle to score more than 1,000 points in a career.

Joye Lee-McNelis Women's Basketball Head Coach

(Southern Miss, 1984) Career Record: 327-272 (20 years)

Building a successful program takes time and commitment and does not come without its ups and downs. When Joye Lee-McNelis took over the Southern Miss women's basketball program in 2004, she wanted to return the program to the winning tradition of old. . Now in her eighth season, there is something to be said about the return of an athlete to his or her alma mater ... loyalty and passion. With her appointment, the Lady Eagles have made steady strides in that direction.

McNelis' presence has formed a complete, well-rounded women's basketball program that is putting Southern Miss back on the map.

Last season, McNelis placed two players on the Conference USA third team in Rachel Vigers and Tanesha Washington while freshman Jamierra Faulkner earned all-freshman honors.

McNelis' presence has formed a complete, well-rounded women's basketball program that is putting Southern Miss back on the map.

Last season may have been a down year, but Pauline Love earned her third-straight first team all-conference award.

In 2008-09 season, Southern Miss was one-win away of claiming at least a share of a regular season title and one win away from returning to postseason.

Her 2007-08 and 2008-09 teams posted back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons. She also had two players named to the C-USA All-Tournament team (Pauline Love and Andrea Barber), another first team all-conference selection (Love) and the C-USA Sixth Player of the Year honoree (Tanesha Washington). The Lady Eagles' Candace Rucker earned two Rookie of the Week honors as well.

In 2007-08, the program landed its initial, first-team all-conference selection (Love) since the inception of Conference USA, recorded the first 20-win season since 1995-96, and advanced to postseason play for the first time since 1999-2000. In addition, they had two players earned player of the week honors (Love and Stephanie Helgeson).

While the 2006-07 team proved to be the turning point, as a short-handed team recorded a 15 win season, landed three players on C-USA All-Conference teams (Amber Eugene, Kendra Reed and Lauren Pitman), and three others were named C-USA Players of the Week (Eugene, Reed and Emer Foley).

With a combined effort of McNelis's door-to-door, person-to-person approach to promoting and the team's successes, Lady Eagle basketball has seen an increase in attendance every year she has been here, including increased season ticket sales and memberships in the "The Wings Club."

McNelis also displays a passion for a more important aspect of succeeding in sport -- succeeding in the classroom. In 2008-09, Kendra Reed became the only three time C-USA All-Academic player. The year before, two Lady Eagle players were named to the C-USA All-Academic team (Reed and Liz Biland). In 2006-07, Southern Miss placed two players on the Academic All-District Team by ESPN The Magazine (Reed and Kristin Chaney), two were named to C-USA All-Academic teams (Reed and Chaney), five received C-USA Commissioner's List honors (Reed, Patterson, Chaney, Biland and Rachel Manuel), and one (Chaney) was named C-USA Women's Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year.

Evidence of improvement was seen following the 2005-06 season, in which the squad posted a 14-15 record, a plus-five game turnaround. She accomplished that feat with only one junior college transfer, two sophomores and five freshmen. The Lady Eagles finished in a tie for third in the conference with a 10-6 record.

McNelis returned to her alma mater after 13 seasons as head coach at the University of Memphis, where she compiled a 229-156 record. She was only the second coach in Lady Tiger history and took over a program that had won just 21 games over a three-year span, including back-to-back 6-22 finishes.

In just three seasons, McNelis turned the Memphis program into a winner and over 12 years, she helped the Lady Tiger program gain national recognition when in 1999 Memphis entered the AP Top 25 for the first time in 14 years.

McNelis is credited with leading her Memphis teams to four-consecutive conference championships, five-consecutive 20-win seasons and eight postseason tournament appearances. She coached 14 all-conference players and has two former players currently playing in the WNBA. Over those 13 seasons, 32 players who have competed in the program have completed their degrees.

After her first five seasons at Memphis, McNelis was tabbed as one of the nation's "Coaches on the Rise" by Basketball Times. During McNelis' tenure, she coached three conference newcomers of the year and two conference players of the year. Among her top recruiting highlights is Tamika Whitmore, who finished her career at Memphis as the second all-time leading scorer in school history. As a senior, Whitmore was named to five different All-American teams.

Prior to her stint at Memphis, McNelis spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Southern Miss (1986-91). The 1987 and 1990 squads won the Metro Conference tournament championship. The 1986-87, 1988-89 and 1989-90 teams each participated in the NCAA Tournament, with the 1989-90 team advancing to the second round. During her tenure, those teams posted a record of 103-47 and her last two seasons those teams posted a 53-10 record, including the most wins in a season with 27 in 1989-90 and finished the season ranked in the Top 20.

"I believe that you can have an interest in a lot of things, but you have to have passion," McNelis said. "I'm very passionate about being the head coach here, and I'm passionate about the job. I think it's bigger than basketball." While at Southern Miss, McNelis was responsible for recruiting. Several of her classes were ranked in the Top 10 nationally. She also had a hand in recruiting Janice Felder, a 1994 Kodak All-American and the most decorated Lady Eagle in the program's history.

Prior to accepting the Southern Miss position, McNelis spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Southwest Texas State University, where she served as recruiting coordinator and was co-director of the summer basketball camp. McNelis' accomplishments do not end with basketball. While at Memphis, she became one of Memphis' most informative and motivational speakers. She served as chairman for the 1997 and 1998 March of Dimes Walk America, which reached an all-time high in charitable donations.

McNelis also helped raise money for LeBonheur Children's Medical Center, as well as conducted clinics throughout the city of Memphis. She was honored by the Kiwanis Club with the George F. Hixon Fellowship Award. Community involvement does not stop with McNelis, as she believes it is important for her players to be active in the community as well. During the 2005-06 season, McNelis and her Lady Eagles performed more community service than any of the other athletic teams, receiving the Southern Miss Athletic Department's Community Service Award.

Following Hurricane Katrina, McNelis delivered supplies and goods to the people in her community of Leetown. Other community service projects include the Extraordinary Eagles, honoring elementary and middle school students at two of the Lady Eagles basketball games for academic achievement. The Lady Eagles and coaches worked as "celebrity waitresses" at Chesterfield's Restaurant to raise money for breast cancer.

McNelis stepped out the box and went back to her roots of being a cowgirl, as she rode a mechanical bull that raised in excess of $7,000 for the Hattiesburg's Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club. Her team had numerous speaking engagements at the local elementary and middle schools about the benefits of staying in school. McNelis, her staff and players also held several free clinics for faculty and staff children as well as Upward Basketball.

She was a four-year starter for the Lady Eagles from 1980-84, helping the program post a 73-28 record. She helped Southern Miss advance to postseason play for the first time in 1981, when the Lady Eagles advanced to the second round of the AIAW Region Tournament. McNelis ranks among the top 10 leaders in seven statistical categories, including eighth in all-time scoring with 1,512 points, eighth in scoring average (14.0 ppg), field goals made and attempted, free throws made and attempted and free throw percentage. She had an outstanding career, represented by her induction into the Southern Miss Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.

She was a four-year letterwinner in basketball at Hancock North Central High School. Her teams went to the state tournament four-straight years and twice won state titles. She still reigns as the school's all-time leading scorer.

On April 19, 1993, McNelis' high school jersey No. 14 was retired, along with Minnesota Viking quarterback Brett Favre. That day was declared Joye Lee-McNelis-Brett Favre Day by Hancock County.

McNelis is married to Dennis McNelis, and the couple has two children, Whitney (20) a junior in the school of nursing and Connor (16).

McNelis at a Glance HOMETOWN
Leetown, Miss.

HIGH SCHOOL
Hancock High School

ALMA MATER
The University of Southern Mississippi
Bachelor's degree (business distributive education), 1984
Master's degree (Education), 1986

COLLEGIATE PLAYING EXPERIENCE
Southern Miss, 1980-84
No. 7 All-Time Leading Scorer (1,510 Pts.)
Southern Miss Sports Hall of Fame (1997)

COACHING EXPERIENCE
Southern Miss (2004-present) - 98-116
The University of Memphis (1991-2004) - 229-156
The University of Southern Mississippi, Assistant Coach (1986-1991) - 103-47
Southwest Texas State University, Assistant Coach (1984-1986) - 26-30

COACHING HONORS
- Career Record: 327-272 (.545)
- Four NCAA Tournament appearances (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998)
- Four WNIT appearances (1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2008)
- WNIT Final Four appearance (1999)
- 1998 Conference USA Regular-Season Champions
- 1998 Conference USA Tournament Champions
- 1997 Conference USA Regular Season Tri-Champions
- 1996 Conference USA Tournament Championship
- 1995 Great Midwest Regular Season Championship
- Coached four conference Newcomers of the Year
- Coached 23 all-conference players
- Coached seven C-USA all-freshman team members
- Coached Conference USA Sixth Player of the Year
- Coached the 1998 and 1999 C-USA Player of the Year
- Finalist for the 1995 National Coach of the Year
- Tabbed by Basketball Times as One of the Nation's "Coaches on the Rise"

McNELIS' YEAR-BY-YEAR RECORD
Year (School)	         Overall	Conf.	Pct.
1991-92 (Memphis)	 12-17  	4-6	.414
1992-93 (Memphis)	 12-16	        3-7	.429
1993-94 (Memphis)	 17-12  	7-5	.586
1994-95 (Memphis)	 22-8	        10-2	.733 (Great Midwest Reg. Season Champion/NCAA Second Round)
1995-96 (Memphis)	 20-11	        10-4	.645 (C-USA TournamentChampions/NCAA)
1996-97 (Memphis)	 22-7	        12-2	.759 (C-USA Regular Season Tri-Champions/NCAA)
1997-98 (Memphis)	 22-8	        14-2	.733 (C-USA Reg. Season Champions/C-USA Tourney Champions/NCAA First Round)
1998-99 (Memphis)	 22-10	        10-6	.688 (WNIT Final Four)
1999-00 (Memphis)	 18-12	        11-5	.600 (WNIT Second Round)
2000-01 (Memphis)	 17-13	         9-7	.567 (WNIT First Round)
2001-02 (Memphis)	 11-17	         5-9	.393
2002-03 (Memphis)	 13-15	         6-8	.464
2003-04 (Memphis)	 21-10	         9-5	.677 (WNIT Second Round)
2004-05 (Southern Miss)	  9-19	         3-11	.473
2005-06 (Southern Miss)	 14-15          10-6	.483
2006-07 (Southern Miss)	 15-15	         9-7	.500
2007-08 (Southern Miss)	 21-14	         8-8	.600 (WNIT Sweet 16)
2008-09 (Southern Miss)  20-12          11-5    .625
2009-10 (Southern Miss)   9-21           5-11   .300
2010-11 (Southern Miss)  10-20           5-11   .333
TOTALS	                327-272	       161-127	.545