Jones College

Missy Bilderback continues to make history with the Jones women's basketball program.

Three years after guiding Jones to its first-ever NJCAA No. 1 ranking, Bilderback and the Bobcats made the program's first NJCAA Final Four in 2021-22 and followed that up with an NJCAA Elite Eight appearance last season. 

During the Final Four run, the Bobcats ran off 10 straight postseason victories, including winning a conference championship and their sixth consecutive NJCAA Region 23 Championship. The Bobcats upset No. 7 New Mexico JC, No. 17 Blinn and No. 16 Eastern Florida State to make the national semifinals.

Bilderback is an outstanding 198-33 (.857) overall in eight seasons at the helm. Her teams have been equally impressive in conference play with a combined 100-11 mark.

The Bobcats have won seven consecutive NJCAA Region 23 Tournaments, six of the last seven conference titles and have represented Mississippi in the NJCAA Tournament in Lubbock, Texas, seven straight years.

Prior to Bilderback's arrival in 2015, the Bobcats had never advanced to the national tournament. 

Bilderback commanded Jones to a 20-1 record during the 2020-21 season, its first undefeated regular season (16-0) in program history, conference and region championship, and No. 1 ranking in the final NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball Poll.

The seven-time NJCAA Region 23 Coach of the Year has been able to develop and produce four-year talent like no other JUCO programs in Mississippi. Forty-three players have moved on to four-year programs, including 38 of those to Division I schools.

Eight players inked with Division I programs at the end of the 2019-20 season, including Keyara Jones (Alabama), Jatyjia Jones (Memphis), Destiny Haymer (Cincinnati), Daja Woodard (Minnesota), LaMiracle Sims (UAB), Chyna Allen (Nicholls State), Bryana Langford (SELU) and Kacey Bradford (SELU).

She has coached 30 all-conference selections, 20 all-region selections and a dozen all-americans.

Jones ended the 2019-20 season with a record of 24-4 and No. 10 national ranking under Bilderback, winning a south division and region title, and making the national tournament. 

Jones finished 28-3 overall and 13-1 in south division play during the 2018-19 season, riding a season-long 16-game winning streak from November to February. Two of the Lady Bobcats' three losses came to Top 10 opponents in Shelton State and New Mexico JC. Jones finished No. 9 in the final regular season poll.

Bilderback led the Bobcats to a 26-4 record in 2017-18 and the school's second consecutive appearance in the national tournament. Jones also captured the MACJC and Region 23 Tournament championships for the second straight season and were ranked No. 5 in the country in the final regular season poll.

Bilderback guided Jones to a 30-2 record in 2016-17 – a school-record for wins – an MACJC Tournament championship, division championship, the school's first-ever Region 23 Tournament title and first-ever appearance in the NJCAA Division I National Tournament. The Lady Bobcats finished No. 14 in the polls.

In her first season with the Bobcats, Bilderback compiled a 19-7 record and led Jones to both postseason tournaments.

Prior to Jones, Bilderback served as head coach at Presbyterian Christian School in Hattiesburg for 16 years. She was an impressive 482-117 at PCS, leading her team to six MAIS state championships and two MAIS Overall State crowns in 2008 and 2014. Her team was runner-up in the overall state tournament in 2013 and 2015 and she guided PCS to 14 consecutive seasons of 20-plus victories.

Bilderback was named Hattiesburg American Coach of the Year in 2002, 2005, 2007, 2013 and 2014. She coached in the MAIS All-Star game in 2001, 2003, 2006 and 2015.

She was a point guard at Pearl River Community College in 1996-97 and 1997-98 and was named Best Female Athlete at PRCC in 1998. Bilderback graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2001 with a degree in Coaching and Sports Administration.

She is married to Chip Bilderback, the head football coach at Columbia High School, and the couple have a teenage son, Drew.