Southern Miss women’s basketball is entering an exciting new chapter with the hiring of Missy Bilderback as the program’s fifth head coach. Bilderback, a Southern Miss alumna, returns to her alma mater after a successful coaching career that spans high school, junior college, D1 college basketball. She replaces Joye Lee-McNelis, who retired last week, after a career coaching the Lady Eagles that last 20 seasons.
Bilderback is no stranger to the Pine Belt. The Hattiesburg native graduated high school from Presbyterian Christian School in 1996 and attended and played basketball for two seasons at Pearl River Community College, where she would win PRCC Female Athlete of the Year in 1998. She then returned to Hattiesburg playing two seasons at Southern Miss graduating in 2001 with a degree in Coaching and Sport Administration.
Bilderback’s coaching journey began at Presbyterian Christian School in Hattiesburg in 2001, where she led the girls’ basketball team to six MAIS state championships and two overall titles during her 16-year tenure. Her impressive record of 482-117 at PCS established her as a dominant force in high school basketball.
She then transitioned to Jones College, where she continued her winning ways. Over eight seasons, Bilderback compiled a remarkable 198-33 record, guiding her teams to seven consecutive NJCAA national tournament appearances, including a Final Four finish in 2022. Her success at Jones College earned her recognition as one of the premier coaches in the region.
(Bilderback during her time at Jones College, 2015-23)
For the past two seasons Bilderback was the Head Coach at UL-Monroe. She took over a disastrous program that had only won 17 games the previous four season. In her first season, she led the Warhawks to a 21-14 record and a Great Eight finish in the Women’s NIT, marking the program’s best season in nearly two decades. Her second season with the Warhawks was a challenging season winning 11 games and losing 19.
As Bilderback takes the reins of the Lady Eagles, fans can look forward to a new era of Southern Miss women’s basketball, driven by her passion, experience, and dedication to excellence. The future looks bright for the program under her leadership!
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