After 21 seasons of work in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Joy Lee Muknellis is off the Miss Sideline in the south. The Golden Eagles announced Tuesday afternoon that 62-year-old McNellis is retiring in coaching after 40 years.
McNellis, who also played in Southern Miss and finished her stint on the court as the second scorer in the program, began her career as an assistant coach in Texas, and returned to the Golden Eagles as an assistant, making three. It helped. Appeared in the NCAA Tournament. In 1991, she grabbed the reins in Memphis at the age of 28, leading the Tigers to four March Madness bids.
In 2004, McNellis returned to Southern Miss and became the fourth head coach in program history, but has been there ever since. She led the Golden Eagles to the Sun Belt regular season title in 2023. It was his first season in the league and won the Pat Summit courageous award last year by the American Basketball Writers Association, which coached Southern Miss in a 20-win season. And while taking on the third battle with cancer, WNIT looks.
McNellis will retire after 567 wins, two conference coach of the year awards and 14 postseason appearances. Her winning totals made her 38th of all Division I women's basketball coaches, the 38th in history.
“Coaching at Southern Miss was more than just a profession. It was a dream come true,” McNellis said in a statement. “Since I was a young girl, basketball has shaped my life in immeasurable ways. Having the opportunity to lead this program has been one of my greatest honors. XS and Not just the OS, this journey is about building relationships, mentoring young women and seeing them grow into confident, successful individuals on and off the court.”
Southern Miss is only 9-19 this season, and it is unclear what the program will look like in the future without McNerlis' presence.
However, many in the coaching circle view the Sunbelt as a league where they can step into a better job.
“I can be sure you can climb into that league's top five pretty quickly,” the longtime college assistant coach told SB Nation. “If Troy can be the mainstay, why is Southern Miss? … Investing is important now.”
surely, According to Hattiesburg AmericanMcNellis earned less than $200,000 a year. For comparisons at another Sunbelt School, James Madison's Sean O'Regan earns $255,505 a year, For a Virginia pilot. Olegan made the Dukes appear in the NCAA Tournament in 2023, and is looking at his second trip this March. The Dukes are 25-4 overall, undefeated in meeting plays and have won votes in the AP Top 25 votes.
But success with the Sun Belt can lead to greater and better. After just one season with Marshall, where she went 26-7 and played the NCAA tournament, Kim Caldwell got a Tennessee job. O'Regan could also get one or two calls this offseason about the opening of the Power 4.
The Sunbelt is also a place where you can enjoy a considerable amount of work safety, even if you win more than you lose. McNellis has been at Southern Miss for over 20 years, but never played the NCAA Tournament. Chanda Rigby has a winning percentage of 61.8 in 13 seasons with Troy and a Madnessverse in March.
That being said, there are several names that make sense to make McNelis a success.
Ayla Guzzardo
About two hours southwest of Hattiesburg in Hammond, Louisiana, Xardo was successful in southeastern Louisiana, winning his second regular season conference title. After the Lions lost a record in 22 of the last 24 seasons, Xuzard led them into five consecutive victory campaigns. Additionally, Se Louisiana's only NCAA Tournament Bertha featured her watch in 2023. Guzzardo, a Louisiana native who played an assistant coach at Akron and served as an assistant coach, has proven he can win at the Mid-Major level with this geographic footprint.
Ittro Coleman
A Georgia native and Clemson all-ACC star, Coleman has now coached nationwide for the past 25 years, from Butler to Pennsylvania, Marquette and North Carolina. Virginia Techshe is Megan Duffy's assistant head coach. Coleman's previous tenure as head coach was a rough tenure. She went 25-63 in three seasons leading her alma mater, but she is a great recruiter and has the knack for working with security guards. In her final offseason she was the opening finalist at Stony Brook, but the gig ended up going to Joy MacCowby. Southern Miss could be a solid fit if Coleman still wants to sit in the first seat on the bench.
Courtney Simmons
Southern Miss Athletic Director Jeremy McLaine was an ad for Troy when Simmons helped the Trojans go to the NCAA Tournament pair as assistant coach and recruitment coordinator. She helped Troy punch another ticket to Big Dance as a Rigby understudy. WNIT's verse. The tough non-conference slate prevents the Grumpling from having a Sterling overall record this season, but is 8-6 in SWAC. Simmons, a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana who played for Louisville, knows the South, the Sunbelt, and knows how to coach.
