OXFORD — Coming off of an exhilarating season culminating in Ole Miss women’s basketball’s first Sweet 16 appearance in 16 years, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin has agreed to a new contract, Ole Miss Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Keith Carter announced Tuesday.
The university did not immediately release the length of the extension nor McPhee-McCuin’s salary. McCuin was set to make $850,000 in 2023 under the terms of her previous contract. In 2022, she was the sixth-highest-paid women’s basketball coach in the SEC. \
“We believe this extension acknowledges we have diligently worked to rebuild Ole Miss Women’s basketball into a nationally relevant program on and off the court,” McPhee-McCuin said in a statement.
In five seasons in Oxford, McPhee-McCuin — affectionately known as “Coach Yo” — has helped turn around the fortunes of Ole Miss’ women’s basketball program. The Rebels went 16-45 over her first two seasons and then have not had a losing record in the last three. Ole Miss was the runner-up in the 2021 WNIT, then made back-to-back appearances in the Women’s NCAA Tournament.
In the 2022-23 season, Ole Miss finished 25-9 and reached the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007. The run included a victory over No. 1 seed Stanford on its home floor.
Defensively, the Rebels shattered the program block record with a total of 174 rejections as a team. McPhee-McCuin has also proven to be an outstanding recruiter, with several top classes to her credit. This offseason she brought in two of ESPN’s top-15 transfers in Kennedy Todd-Williams from North Carolina and K.K. Deans from Florida to join a team that returns three starters. “Coach Yo has our women’s basketball program on a championship trajectory, and we can’t wait to see what lies in the years ahead with her vision, energy and relentless dedication,”
Her focus on leading this team to national contention is remarkable. Equally impressive has been the impact that she has made on the Oxford community,” Carter said in a statement. “We are excited to commit to Coach Yo’s future here in Oxford and look forward to experiencing more of the tremendous highs that her first five seasons have provided the Ole Miss family.”
SOURCE: The Vicksburg Post
Read more at: https://www.vicksburgpost.com/2023/07/25/ole-miss-womens-basketball-coach-mcphee-mccuin-agree-to-new-contract/
