Missy Bilderback - Head Coach - Staff Directory

Staff Directory

Missy Bilderback

Title:
Head Coach

Previous Experience
2025-present	Southern Miss - Head Coach
2023-25	ULM - Head Coach
2015-23	Jones County JC - Head Coach
1999-15	Presbyterian Christian HS - Head Coach
Hometown
Hattiesburg, Miss.
Education
A.A. Pearl River Community College, 1998
B.S. (Sports Administration) The University of Southern Mississippi, 2001
Playing Career
1996-98	Pearl River CC (Poplarville, Miss.)

Missy Bilderback was named as the fifth head coach in Southern Miss women’s basketball program history on March 23, 2025. A native of Hattiesburg, Miss., and alumna of The University of Southern Mississippi, Bilderback’s return home was a dream realized in more ways than one.

While prepping at Forrest County Agricultural High School (Brooklyn, Miss.) just outside of the Hub City, Bilderback routinely attended some of Southern Miss’ greatest games at Reed Green Coliseum. As some of the greatest Lady Eagles to ever wear the uniform made their way through Hattiesburg, Bilderback looked on from the stands.

After making her collegiate debut at Pearl River Community College (Poplarville, Miss.), Bilderback’s admiration for Southern Miss and Coach Kay James only grew stronger. After a two-season career at the River that earned her the best female athlete award in 1998, she enrolled at Southern Miss and quickly got involved with the Lady Eagle program, soaking up every moment around James and her Lady Eagles.

While assisting the Lady Eagles on and off the court, Bilderback’s love for basketball continued to push her towards her next step. In 1999, the first step on a decades-long path came from a surprising source: Presbyterian Christian School. At that time, PCS was a small, single-A member, of the Mississippi Private School Association, and not an ideal starting spot for a young coach with aspirations of coaching at the highest levels.

However, with James’ support and encouragement, Bilderback – just a senior in college at the time – took a leap of faith and accepted the offer to become the school’s first girl’s basketball coach. Over the next 16 years, Bilderback and the Bobcats grew together and reached heights once thought unreachable.

Slowly but surely, the college senior became a college graduate while the rookie head coach became one of the best in Mississippi. Bilderback compiled a 482-117 overall record with the Bobcats while leading the Bobcats to six MPSA/MAIS State Championships and two overall MAIS crowns in 2008 and 2014.

In 14 of their 16 seasons under Bilderback, the Bobcats posted at least 20 wins. Her success with PCS saw her earn praise from around the region. Bilderback was named the Hattiesburg American’s Coach of the Year five times (2002, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2014) and coached in three MAIS All-Star Games (2001, 2003, 2006, 2016).

Eventually, it was time to make the move to the next level. Already an established entity in the high school prep circuit, Bilderback’s next move and what followed it made her truly stand out from her peers. In 2015, she accepted a job at Jones County Junior College (Ellisville, Miss.) as the program’s associate head coach. However, following the retirement of JC’s head coach, Bilderback assumed the role on April 29, 2015.

When she accepted the job in 2015, Jones had never been to the NJCAA National Tournament, nor had they captured a NJCAA Region 23 Tournament Title. Her first year in Ellisville was not quite one to silence the few critics that remained. Jones’ record improved by just one game and the Bobcats once again fell out of the league tournament and did not win a game at the NJCAA Region 23 Tourney either.

After one year on the job, Bilderback assembled her first full signing class and did nothing short of the miraculous. The 2016-17 Jones Bobcats re-wrote the program’s history books with a 30-2 season and 13-1 ledger in MACJC play, netting Bilderback and her squad the MACJC South Division title. At the league tournament on their home floor, Bilderback’s squad finished a perfect 3-0 to claim the championship and continued their hot streak into the Region 23 Tournament, sweeping their way to the Region title and the program’s first-ever berth in the NJCAA Tournament.

Bilderback’s squad did more than just make the tournament, their statement-making season continued all the way to the Elite Eight before Jones ultimately fell 81-75 to Salt Lake City. Not just a flash in the pan either, Bilderback’s breakout 2016-17 campaign was just the start of a seven-year stretch of domination in Ellisville.

From 2016 until 2023, Bilderback’s squads won no less than 20 games and no fewer than 24 games in seasons not affected by COVID-19. The Bobcats rattled off seven-straight NJCAA Tournament appearances thanks to seven-consecutive Region 23 Tournament Championships. Her 2022 squad advanced to the Elite Eight again while the 2023 group set a program record and fought to the final four in Lubbock, Texas.

Her prowess in Ellisville netted her a 198-33 overall record with a gaudy 110-11 mark in MACJC/MACCC play. In eight seasons leading Jones, 30 Bobcats were named to All-MACCC teams while 20 were named to All-Region 23 teams. Twelve Bobcats earned NJCAA All-American laurels, highlighted by First Team All-Americans Alexis Tolefree (2017), Daishai Bradford (2022) and Sakyia White (2023).

In addition to their success at the junior college level, 44 players were able to earn spots on four-year rosters, including 40 on Division I squads. One of the best talent evaluators in the region and a proven talent developer, Bilderback earned the respect of coaches from around the country and fended off multiple offers to move to the next level.

Finally, after her Final Four run in 2023, Bilderback made the move to the Division I level. On March 29, 2023, she accepted the job at ULM, another program longing for success. In the previous four seasons, the Warhawks had won just 17 combined games and had not posted a winning record since 2011.

After assembling her first ULM squad – many her former stars at Jones – Bilderback quickly proved herself as one of the best turnaround coaches in the industry. A season-opening setback against Arkansas was followed by eight-straight victories, already the best in the last five years just nine games into the campaign.

The winning streaks continued, including a six-game unbeaten streak in the heart of Sun Belt Conference play that placed ULM within reach of one of the top spots in the Sun Belt Tournament. Entering the tournament, the Warhawks held the fifth seed and had not won in the conference postseason in seven years. Bilderback won her first game in the conference tournament and gave ULM its first quarterfinals appearance since 2013.

While ULM did fall short in pursuit of a conference tournament championship, the Warhawks did receive and accept a bid to play in the 2024 Postseason WNIT. ULM earned a first round bye and grabbed its first postseason win in 39 years in dominate fashion over Grambling State.

Bilderback knocked Southern Miss’ Magnificent Seven out of the tournament in the next round to advance to the Postseason WNIT’s Great Eight. ULM fell to Troy to end their postseason run, though the trip to the Great Eight was the program’s best postseason since 1985.

ULM took a step back in 2024-25 but still managed to win 11 games and post a 7-11 Sun Belt Record. In two years in Monroe, Bilderback had won 32 games – the most in a two-year stretch at ULM since 2005. ULM earned three spots on All-Sun Belt Conference teams as Daisha Bradford (2024 second team) and Jakayla Johnson (2024 third team, 2025 first team) made names for themselves in the Sun Belt. Bradford also earned SBC Newcome of the Year honors in 2024 while Kaitlyn Manuel was named as the league's Sixth Woman of the Year

Bilderback is married to Chip Bilderback, a native of El Centro, Calif., and current head football coach at Columbia High School. The two have one son, Drew.