It was an emotional moment for Missy Bilderback after she walked onto the court of Reed Green Coliseum for the first time just days after being named the head coach of Southern Miss women's basketball program earlier this week.
Bilderback recalled the moment during her introduction press conference on Thursday.
"It truly is a dream come true," Bilderback said. "It was a little surreal, a little emotional and pretty exciting."
After spending the last two years at Louisiana-Monroe, Bilderback finally returned to the Pine Belt area as she had coached at Presbyterian Christian High School for 16 years and then spent another eight years at Jones College, both of which she was successful.
"I don't want a chance to just be home, but I want a chance to win at a high level," Bilderback said. "Having the opportunity to do that in front of friends and family is something that not many people have the opportunity to do. It was kind of a no-brainer for me (to return)."
WHY BILDERBACK?
Southern Miss' Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain said that the two reasons he felt Bilderback was the best candidate were her ties to the local community and her relationship with her players.
"We are in a situation across the country where women's basketball is more popular than it has ever been," McClain said. "I think Missy gives us an opportunity to really get people engaged with the program. Not that we haven't before because we have had times where we had great crowds and success. I think she is starting from a different place because of that support in the community."
"One of the things that jumped out once we got into it was the level of relationships that she was able to build with her players, whether it be at PCS, Jones, or Monroe. I think a great example of that is when she left Jones to go to Monroe, the players that left other places but played for her at Jones left Power Four places to go play for her again."
McClain stated Southern Miss had secured the funds of Bilderback's buyout from Louisiana-Monroe, which, according to her contract at ULM, stood at $150,000.
"We are in a situation across the country where women's basketball is more popular than it has ever been," McClain said. "I think Missy gives us an opportunity to really get people engaged with the program. Not that we haven't before because we have had times where we had great crowds and success. I think she is starting from a different place because of that support in the community. That's not the only piece of the puzzle she has to go out and recruit and win games."
SHAPING STAFF AND ROSTER
As of now, Bilderback will bring over her top assistants, Lauren Pittman and Lauren Gross, who was the program's Director of Operations. Both Pittman and Gross played at Southern Miss.
"We are still working on our staff," Bilderback said. "There have been a few domino effects. We have a few people that maybe getting some other jobs right now, some head coaching jobs.We are just kind of waiting on the domino effect of who they hire, hopefully, by the mid to end of next week, we'll have everything finalized."
Bilderback signed four players from the transfer portal on Monday, all coming from ULM, including Jakayla Johnson, Sakyia White, Meloney Thames, and Brikayla Gray, who began her career at Southern Miss.
Johnson, who averaged 15.8 points and 4.2 rebounds, was a first-team all-conference selection, while Thames averaged 13.1 points and White had 9.7. Gray averaged 4.8 points off the bench.
"It's not a rebuild," Bilderback said. "This program is in great shape. You know this program is one that is respected and used to winning."
So far, Southern Miss has three players that have entered the transfer portal, which are Mikaylah Manley, Jacorriah Bracey and Trinity Rowe, who was named the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year. Bracey did not play this year due to mental health reasons, but in the 2023-25 season, she averaged 10.9 points.
"Trinity and I have had great conversations," Bilderback said. "She's on a visit right now. I'm going to meet with her and her family this weekend.
"We'll know soon enough know about Trinity and JB."
Bilderback mentioned that Morgan Sieper, Whitney Hart, and Jamiyah Evans will be returning to the program.
"The university sells itself, and the town sells itself," Bilderback said. "In Monroe, I had to sell myself and our staff a lot, where here, there are so many different things I can sell. I can sell the entire athletic department, the athletic program and the tradition of the program here."
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