HATTIESBURG — Southern Miss’ women’s basketball program is heading into a new era with a familiar face.

Missy Bilderback, a Southern Miss alum, has been hired as the school’s next head coach, the university announced Sunday. She will succeed longtime coach Joye Lee-McNelis, who retired after 20 seasons on the bench.

Bilderback will be formally introduced at a press conference later this week.

“We are thrilled to welcome Missy and her family back home to Hattiesburg,” Southern Miss Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain said in a statement announcing the hire. “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 played basketball at Pearl River Community College, graduated from Southern Miss in 2001, and then embarked on a successful high school and college coaching career that eventually led her back to her alma mater.

Bilderback was the girls’ head coach at Presbyterian Christian School in Hattiesburg for 16 years and won six MAIS state championships and two overall championships. She had a 482-117 record at PCS.

She then was the women’s head coach at Jones College for eight seasons and compiled a 198-33 record with seven consecutive trips to the NJCAA national tournament.

The past two seasons were spent as the head coach at Louisiana-Monroe, where she earned praise for pulling off a tough reclamation project. The Warhawks went 21-14 in her first season in 2023-24, four more wins than the previous four years combined. They reached the final eight of the 2024 Women’s NIT.

ULM slumped back to an 11-19 record this season.

“I am incredibly excited and grateful to be the next head women’s basketball coach at The University of Southern Mississippi,” Bilderback said in a statement. “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.”