McPhee-McCuin ready to begin rebuild at Ole Miss

McPhee-McCuin ready to begin rebuild at Ole Miss

With the collegiate basketball season quickly approaching, newly appointed coach of Ole Miss’ women’s basketball team, Yolett McPhee-McCuin said, she doesn’t have high expectations for this year, but she’s focused on turning the program around and making it prominent in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) once again.

Prior to signing with Ole Miss in April, McPhee-McCuin spent the previous five seasons transforming Jacksonville University into a perennial power in the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN).

During her tenure as head coach, McPhee-McCuin led the Dolphins to a 94-63 record (50-24 in ASUN play).

“The community has really embraced me, my family and my staff,” McPhee-McCuin said.

“I think they just want something new and something fresh, and that’s something we will start working on right away.”

McPhee-McCuin’s first task as head coach was filling the eight spots left by players that departed at the end of the 2017-2018 season.

“We will have a full roster of players,” she said.

“We have been going at it pretty hard for the past two months to be able to put a team together.

Last week, Ole Miss women’s basketball released both its non-conference schedule and SEC home/away assignments for the upcoming 2018-2019 season

Ole Miss opens with an exhibition against Division II LeMoyne-Owen at The Pavilion on Nov. 2, followed by the regular season opener vs. Norfolk State on Nov. 6. Three more home games vs. IUPUI (Nov. 9), Temple (Nov. 14) and Western Michigan (Nov. 18) preface a trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands for the 2018 Paradise Jam. There, the Rebels will square off against UConn (Nov. 22), Purdue (Nov. 23) and St. John’s (Nov. 24).

“I definitely think the trip to the Virgin Islands over Thanksgiving break will allow us to bond as a team and spend some time with each other away from our normal surroundings,” she added.

“This non-conference schedule will give my staff and I an opportunity to try and figure out how we can put our team in the best position to be competitive in conference play.”