Just two months after guiding the Lady Tigers to their finestseason in five years, University of Memphis women's basketballcoach Joye Lee-McNelis decided to head closer to home.
Lee-McNelis left Memphis to accept the women's head coachingposition at the University of Southern Mississippi, her alma mater.The move followed a 21-10 campaign that brought Memphis to the WNITsecond round.
Last season's success prompted Athletic Director R.C. Johnson toextend McNelis' contract through the 2008-09 season on April 8. Butthe offer to coach at home was too good to pass up, Lee-McNelissaid.
"Even though I was away, at heart, I was a Lady Eagle,"Lee-McNelis said at her USM introductory press conference on May14. "I think that's what makes it even more special coming backhome, because part of me is still here."
Lee-McNelis held a record of 229-156 in 13 seasons at The U ofM, including seven 20-win seasons and eight post-seasonappearances. Her best result came in 1994-95, when the Lady Tigersfinished 22-8 and advanced to the second round of the NCAAtournament. The 1994-95 season was amid a stretch of sevenconsecutive post-season appearances between 1994-2001. She alsoposted five consecutive 20-win seasons during that stretch.
"We wish Joye the best and thank her for guiding this programthese last 13 years," Johnson said. "Over the years, she gainednational exposure for the Lady Tigers, and we will continue tobuild on that success."
But who will head the rebuilding effort remains to be seen.Assistant coach Tom Cross has assumed the title of interim headcoach, but a search is underway for a permanent replacement. Thenew head coach will be just the third in the program's 34-yearhistory, following Lee-McNelis and Mary Lou Johns.
Lynn Parkes, assistant athletic director and chair of thescreening committee, said the search is well underway and has beennational in scope.
"We're going through the process right now," Parkes said."There's been an awful lot of interest in the job. There are a lotof candidates."
While identities of most of the candidates have not beendisclosed, at least two of them are known to have U of M ties.Cross, a WNBA assistant with the Detroit Shock before joiningLee-McNelis last season, has been mentioned as a candidate for thejob. So has long-time Lee McNelis assistant Blair Savage-Lansden,who spent nine years with Lee-McNelis before taking an assistantposition at Belmont last season.
While the head coach has yet to be determined, there is adefinite timetable for when the decision will be made.
"Recruiting starts July 1, so it's imperative to have somebodyby that time," Parkes said.
While that gives the search committee over three weeks to find asuitable candidate, it is likely the announcement will be made muchsooner, possibly within the next week.
