Golden Eagle nation is mourning the passing of longtime Southern Miss women’s basketball coach Joye Lee-McNelis.
The university announced the death of McNelis, 63, on Tuesday amid her battle with Stage 4 lung cancer. McNelis, a Leetown, Mississippi native, led the Lady Eagles for the past 21 seasons ahead of her retirement from coaching this past February.
A Southern Miss staple, McNelis also spent her collegiate playing days with the black and gold, where she helped lead the team to its first-ever postseason appearance while also cementing her career with the second-most points scored in program history.
“Please join me in praying for Joye’s family,” Southern Miss Athletics Director Jeremy McClain stated. “She was the embodiment of a Golden Eagle…tough, dedicated, relentless. And for those of us who had the pleasure of knowing her well, she made us better. She will be greatly missed.”
We are saddened to announce the passing of Lady Eagle legend, Coach Joye Lee-McNelis.#McNelisStrong | #SMTTT pic.twitter.com/Oz82Hqi4r4
— Southern Miss
(@USMGoldenEagles) June 24, 2025
In her coaching days, McNelis took over the reins in Hattiesburg on May 14, 2004, becoming 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.
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, largely because of her endurance in coaching through three different lung cancer diagnoses, along with the death of her father. Her first cancer diagnosis was announced in 2017.
McNelis began her coaching career that began at Texas State, known as Southwest Texas State while she was there. After two years in San Marcos, McNelis returned to her alma mater as an assistant under her former head coach, Kay James. She quickly established herself as one of the game’s brightest young assistants. That reputation earned her the head coaching job at Memphis, then Memphis State, at just 28 years old in 1991.
The young head coach proceeded to lead 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, where she left a long-lasting impact both on and off the court as an inspirational leader. Following McNelis’ retirement, McClain tabbed Southern Miss alum Missy Bilderback to fill a pair of big shoes left by her beloved predecessor.
Throughout her ongoing battles with cancer, McNelis leaned on her faith for assurance and guidance, especially as she looked to lead a group of student-athletes to victory on the court. Her faith never wavered, despite the obstacles that were ahead of her.
“All I want to do is let others know that we all go through it, but let’s just fight together and look to God and give God praise for it all,” McNelis said on The Eagle Hour back in 2023.
