By Robert Wilson
Excellent work ethic, awesome motivator, terrific game coach, great recruiter.
These traits as well as others were what former players, current players and former assistant coaches said about Missy Bilderback, who was named the new Southern Miss women’s basketball coach Sunday.
The Forrest County AHS High, Pearl River Community College and Southern Miss graduate replaced Joye Lee McNelis, who retired after 21 seasons as Southern Miss’ coach.
Bilderback comes to Southern Miss after two seasons at Louisiana-Monroe, her first Division I head coaching job.
She has had success at the high school level (16 years at Presbyterian Christian School), junior college level (eight years at Jones County Junior College) and Division I level (two years at Louisiana-Monroe). Bilderback won three state championships and two Overall Tournament titles at PCS, made seven consecutive trips to the NJCAA Tournament, including a Final Four finish, at JCJC, and led ULM to its first winning season in 14 years, won 21 games and had the best season in 20 years at the school in her first year at ULM two years ago.
“No one is ever more committed to their kids the way Missy is, and because of that, her players are devoted to her program because of the love she has for everyone involved,” said Trista Magee Whitman, who won two MAIS state championships and one Overall Tournament title, named the Mississippi Player of the Year and is the school’s career leader in scoring while playing for Bilderback at Presbyterian Christian School in Hattiesburg. She also played at Alabama and Alabama-Birmingham, was an assistant coach at UAB and is the new head coach at Jones County Junior College. “She just always made me feel like I could do anything. She cared about our team and program so much. Missy flew with me to Lubbock, Texas, as an upcoming ninth grader to get my first offer from Texas Tech. One of the countless camps she accompanied me to. She drove me across town to physical therapy three times a week for six months when I tore my ACL the next year. I stayed at her home when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer the year after that while my mom and dad were at her treatments out of state. She had other job opportunities and chose to stay, and thanks to that, I received a number of accolades and eventually Player of the Year and signed in the SEC.”
“Missy has been a great friend of mine for a long time,” said Presbyterian Christian School girls basketball coach Drew Smith, who coached with Bilderback at PCS and Jones. “She has taught me so much about coaching and leadership in that time and helped me gain the confidence to move out on my own as a head coach. The reason she has been so successful is she outworks everyone while also treating people in the best way. One thing is certain: no one in the Sun Belt will outwork her. I give her a lot of credit for the successes in my career, and I’m so thankful for her. Southern Miss is so blessed to have her lead the women’s basketball program, and I can’t wait to watch her success.”
“Missy finds a unique way of getting everything out of the kids that he coaches, she pushes them but also loves on them,” said East Rankin Academy athletic director and girls basketball coach Brooke Rhodes, who was an assistant coach for Bilderback at JCJC and played against Bilderback’s teams at PCS when Rhodes was playing for East Rankin. “She is such a great recruiter and knows how to get the right kids that will fit her program and style. Her ability to motivate is unmatched. Every single coaching story or motivation story that I may use in a pregame or something like that I have learned that from her. She always had a story or something for every situation and they always resonated with the kids. We had some great battles when I was playing, and she was coaching. I jumped at the opportunity to coach with her because I respected her so much and knew I could learn a lot from her, and we grew to love each other. I call her one of my very good friends but also a mentor and I am thankful for both of those things. In game situations, Missy is one of the best I have been around as far as what to do and when to do it. And if there is a loss, she takes that personal and will strive to get it right and not just settle for mediocrity. Another thing that makes her special is she gets the kids to believe how special they are and gets them to maybe do things more than they even think they can.”
“Coach B believed in me when no one else did,” said former Leake Academy and East Central Community College star Miriam Prince, who Bilderback signed last season. Prince redshirted this year at ULM and will be transferring to Southern Miss. “She stuck beside me despite a terrible injury and gave me a chance. You will never meet anyone who works harder than she does. Coach B is relentless. She also cares about her players and managers deeply. Coach B doesn’t form a surface level connection but builds a relationship with all of us. She opens up her home and gives all of us a home away from home. Most importantly, Coach B represents Christ in all she does. She loves like Jesus does, and that is the best compliment I could give anyone. I think the world of her.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Missy and her family back home to Hattiesburg,” Southern Miss athletic director Jeremy McClain said. “Missy has established herself as one of the premier coaches in our region, accomplishing championship-level success with multiple programs. She is a proven leader who understands the importance of developing student-athletes both on and off the court. We are confident that she will build on the strong foundation of our women’s basketball program and help us to reach new heights.”
Bilderback had a 482-117 record, an 80.5 winning percentage, in 16 seasons at PCS and had a 198-33 record, an 85.7 winning percentage, in eight seasons at JCJC, and a 32-33 record in two seasons at ULM.
“I am incredibly excited and grateful to be the next head women’s basketball coach at The University of Southern Mississippi,” said Bilderback, who played basketball at Forrest County AHS and Pearl River CC. “I want to express my appreciation to President Dr. Joe Paul and Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain for their trust in me. I know firsthand the pride and tradition that Coach Kay James and Coach Joye Lee-McNelis established with this program, and I am honored to return home to lead the Lady Eagles. I look forward to building strong relationships with our student-athletes, investing in our amazing community, and bringing championships to Hattiesburg.”
Bilderback is married to Chip Bilderback, who was named the head football coach at Columbia High Monday where he had previously coached. The couple has one son, Drew. Missy’s father, Perry Wheat, is one of the most successful high school football coaches in Mississippi history, with 280 wins in 40 seasons with stops at Seminary, Forrest County AHS, Magee, Columbia Academy, Perry Central and Purvis and retired in 2017.
“There are few coaches that love and empower their players in the way that Missy does, and her success is built by the pride and investment she instills at the foundation of her program,” Whitman said. “She is one of the hardest working individuals to ever do the job, and I’m not the only former player who realizes my opportunities in life have come as a product of having Missy as a coach and mentor. Women’s basketball in the state of Mississippi is benefiting tremendously by this hire.”
