The University of Southern Mississippi’s women’s basketball coach Joye Lee-McNelis announced Tuesday that she will be taking a leave of absence due to personal health reasons for an unspecified amount of time.
Late last week, Coach McNelis was hospitalized for chest discomfort and tests revealed a small mass in the upper left lobe of McNelis’ lung. McNelis was diagnosed with Adenocarcinoma that is contained. She will undergo further testing and is expected to have surgery as soon as possible. McNelis will not travel to Florida this week and assistant head coach Kiley Hill will assume interim head coaching duties during her absence.