House Concurrent Resolution 61

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING HEAD COACH JOYE LEE-MCNELIS UPON HER INDUCTION INTO THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI'S LEGENDS CLUB.

WHEREAS, in recognition of her superb talent and stellar leadership, The University of Southern Mississippi Women's Basketball Head Coach Joye Lee-McNelis was inducted into the Legends Club on January 18, 2025, achieving the highest honor for Southern Miss athletes and coaches; and

WHEREAS, as a key player on the basketball team at Hancock North Central High School, Coach McNelis became known as the top guard in Mississippi, and she caught the attention of recruiters across the state when the team won two state titles; and

WHEREAS, after her high school graduation, the budding star athlete decided to stay close to her hometown in Leetown, Mississippi, to play for the Lady Eagles under the tutelage of Coach Kay James; and

WHEREAS, upon joining the team in 1980 and earning her way into the starting lineup, freshman McNelis helped lead Southern Miss to its first postseason play when the Lady Eagles advanced to the second round of the AIAW Region III Tournament, and in 1982, the team repeated history when they made the postseason tournament at the National Women's Invitational Tournament; and

WHEREAS, in her senior year, Coach McNelis led the Lady Eagles in scoring with a remarkable 19.7 points per game, and due in no small part to her impressive efforts, Southern Miss finished the year as the best scoring team in the nation; and

WHEREAS, in her four years wearing the famed black and gold, Coach McNelis won four letters for the Lady Eagles and scored a total of 1,512 points for the team, more than almost any other player in program history, second only to her mentor Nancy Faulk, whose No. 14 jersey she fittingly received upon Faulk's graduation; and

WHEREAS, as signified by her 1997 induction into the Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame, Coach McNelis remains a legend in the Lady Eagle record books, ranking amongst the top 10 players in seven statistical categories, including all-time scoring, scoring average (14.0 ppg), field goals made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, and free throw percentage; and

WHEREAS, after earning her bachelor's degree in business distributive education in 1984, Coach McNelis accepted a job working under Southwest Texas State Head Coach Dennis McNelis, who utilized her innate recruiting ability to bolster his new squad; and

WHEREAS, upon realizing they are perfect teammates, Dennis and Joye married, and they have two wonderful children together: Connor, who has followed in his parents' footsteps and is the assistant coach at Arkansas State, and Whitney, who, together with her husband Michael Wilkerson, has blessed her parents with two perfect grandchildren, Emma Grace and Caroline Lee; and

WHEREAS, after two seasons at Southwest Texas State, Coach McNelis returned to her beloved alma mater in 1986 to work under Coach Kay James, her former coach and mentor, and the dynamic duo helped the Lady Eagles soar to new heights, with the team finishing 103-47 for a total win percentage of 68.7 percent; and

WHEREAS, a true student of the game, Coach McNelis showed the offensive-minded Coach Kay new ways to approach the basket in the rapidly changing world of college basketball, and together they led their team to three NCAA Tournaments, two Metro Conference Tournament Titles, and a regular season championship; and

WHEREAS, Coach McNelis had equal impact off the court as the recruiting coordinator for Southern Miss, bringing in multiple classes ranked in the top 10 nationally and signing some of the greatest players in the program's history, including Tanya Bullock, Alexis Hall, and 1994 Kodak All-American Janice Felder, the most decorated Lady Eagle in program history; and

WHEREAS, in 1991, administrators at Memphis State gave Coach McNelis the opportunity to coach basketball at the Division I level, and in her 13 seasons as the head coach for the Lady Tigers, Coach McNelis amassed a 229-156 overall record and proved her ability as a program builder capable of delivering consistent wins; and

WHEREAS, Coach McNelis remains the last Memphis State coach to take the program to the NCAA Tournament, leading the Lady Tigers to four NCAA Tournaments and helping her 1995 team advance to the second round; and

WHEREAS, in 2004, Coach McNelis made her long awaited return to Reed Green Coliseum as the head coach of the Lady Eagles, and immediately upon her return, she began laying the foundation for the program's future success by establishing the Wings, a booster club comprised of the team's most dedicated supporters; and

WHEREAS, only a few years into her tenure as head coach, Coach McNelis delivered back-to-back 20-win seasons for Southern Miss with 21 wins in 2007-2008 and 20 wins in 2008-2009, a feat that fans had not witnessed since the 1994-1995 and 1995-1996 seasons; and

WHEREAS, Coach McNelis was recognized as the Conference USA Coach of the Year after her 2013-2014 team won 10-straight down the stretch to finish second in the Conference USA standings, and the team advanced to the Conference USA Tournament championship game before qualifying for the WNIT, tying for the record of all-time single-season wins in program history with a 27-7 season; and

WHEREAS, under the guidance of Coach McNelis, the 2014-2015 team won another 25 games and advanced to the WNIT Great 8, the farthest any Lady Eagle team has advanced in postseason play, marking the first time Southern Miss posted back-to-back seasons with 25-plus wins since 1988-1989 and 1989-1990; and

WHEREAS, in the 2019-2020 season, Coach McNelis oversaw her 500th game as the head coach of the Lady Eagles, and in the 2021-2022 season opener against William Carey, she notched her 500th career win; and

WHEREAS, in her first year leading the Lady Eagles in the Sun Belt Conference, Coach McNelis and her 2022-2023 squad topped 20 wins for the first time since the 2016-2017 season, tied the program's high-water mark with 13 conference wins, and delivered the program's first conference title since the 1993-1994 season, marking the first conference title for Coach McNelis since her 1997-1998 Conference USA claim at Memphis and her fourth overall; and

WHEREAS, in 2023, Coach McNelis celebrated her 300th win as head coach of the Lady Eagles in an astounding victory against University of Louisiana at Monroe, making Southern Miss one of only six Division I programs with two head coaches boasting over 300 wins, and her 2023-2024 squad made another appearance in the postseason WNIT, advancing to the Super 16 to claim back-to-back 20-win seasons once again; and

WHEREAS, perhaps her most significant accolade, Coach McNelis was named the recipient of the 2024 Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, a particularly meaningful honor due to the friendship she found with Summitt while coaching at Memphis State; and

WHEREAS, the focused, resolute, and supremely talented Coach McNelis now deservedly takes her place as the 22nd inductee into the Legends Club and the third Lady Eagle to earn the prestigious honor, joining her former coach Kay James and her former recruit Janice Felder; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to recognize and honor the hard work and incredible accomplishments of Mississippi's extraordinary citizens, especially those such as Southern Miss Head Coach Joye Lee-McNelis, who radiates excellence and inspires each player who has the opportunity to learn and flourish under her expert leadership:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend and congratulate The University of Southern Mississippi Women's Basketball Head Coach Joye Lee-McNelis upon her induction into the Legends Club and extend best wishes for continued success in all her future endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Head Coach Joye Lee-McNelis and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.