Ole Miss' Coach Yo Reveals How She Got Rebels Job: By Calling a Search Firm
SEATTLE -- Yolett McPhee-McCuin is not shy about her journey, and she is unapologetically proud of how she came to be the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels.
McPhee-McCuin, dubbed "Coach Yo" by her fan base, has the Rebels in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007. Following Ole Miss' upset of one-seed Stanford on Sunday, she told ESPN that her journey to Oxford has been an oft-doubted one.
"I wasn't Ole Miss' first choice," McPhee-McCuin said. "But I was the right one. And I was naive enough to think that I could do it."
The coach once again met with the media on Thursday prior to the Rebels' Sweet 16 matchup against Louisville on Friday night, and she went into detail about how she came to Ole Miss and expressed gratitude for her journey thus far.
"I knew I wasn't the first choice because when I called the search firm, they told me that people were ahead of me," McPhee-McCuin said. "I was at peace with shooting my shot. I don't think you can make the shot if you don't take it."
The Rebels coach has never been apprehensive about expressing belief in herself, even when there were doubts that she would be able to succeed in the SEC.
"I just think it's one of my attributes as an individual," McPhee-McCuin said. "It stems from my heritage, being from the Bahamas. We are small as far as population, but we are a prideful people. Coming up, I've always seen excellence from our small little island.
"I'm grateful that I had an opportunity to come to the United States and realize that my head was probably a little too big," she continued with a laugh. "I got real normal when I came to the US. I think one of the things that is important for my team is the whole mantra 'No Ceilings.' There is no limit to what you can accomplish."
That mantra has come to life for Ole Miss this season, especially in the NCAA Tournament, but McPhee-McCuin's focus is not necessarily on building notches in the win column, but on building success for her players.
"I tell my players all the time, 'If I can do it, you definitely can do it,'" McPhee-McCuin said. "I didn't have the resources that my players have. Coaching is not something I'm doing for me. I know I get a lot of attention because of my story, but my focus is that my players accomplish whatever it is they want in life."
The Rebels and Louisville Cardinals are scheduled for a 9 p.m. CT tip-off on ESPN on Friday night, and the Rebels' focus has now shifted from their upset victory over Stanford to their next opponent.
"Obviously, that was an incredible win for us," McPhee-McCuin said. "It's up there as one of the best wins as a head coach I've been a part of. Our team celebrated, as we always do. We try to celebrate our wins. We let that hang with us for about 48 hours.
"Today, we've been incredibly focused and shutting off the outside noise. Starting to get focused for our opponent tomorrow."
