It’s a Family Affair for Ole Miss Head Women’s Basketball Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — For Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin, it’s a family affair. Literally.
Her husband, Kelly; her daughters, Yuri and Yasmine; and her parents, Gladstone “Moon” McPhee and Daisy McPhee, are behind Coach Yo, as she is known, and her team, all the way.
Coach Yo’s Rebels are in the second round of the NCAA Tournament after a 67-55 win over Marquette Saturday, and they’re preparing to face host team and No. 2 seed Notre Dame Monday afternoon.
The Rebel Walk media correspondent Karis Chambliss captured a picture of a moment during the Marquette game where Coach Yo and her husband were in perfect synchronicity following a call by the officials. Her six-year-old daughter, Yuri, was also snapped expressing her feelings about the whistle.
This is what 16 years of marriage looks like! ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/fHujt8nKRn
— Coach Yo (@YolettMcCuin) March 24, 2024
“When I saw the picture, I didn’t even recognize her (at first),” McPhee-McCuin said. “I just saw Kelly. And then, of course, the internet does what it does, and they show Yuri and she’s like pissed off at the call. That is perfect, you know?” she said smiling.
The picture has gone viral after Coach Yo tweeted it with the comment, “This is what 16 years of marriage looks like.”
At Saturday’s press conference ahead of their matchup with the Fighting Irish, Coach Yo was asked by Chambliss about the support of Kelly and her family.
“Oh, man. I couldn’t be who I am without my husband. Like he is the biggest critic, cheerleader, coach in the house. Make no mistake.”
Coach Yo on the support of her husband, Kelly
The Ole Miss head coach went on to explain, while laughing, Kelly’s familiarity with SEC referees.
“All of the SEC officials know him, and he knows them by first name,” she explained.
That synchronized family moment during the game Saturday is not atypical for the McPhee-McCuin group.
“I didn’t know this, but some of our fans said that — I don’t sit during the game, so they said, ‘do you know that your husband doesn’t sit during the game?’ So if I pace, he paces. If I stand, he stands. He is fully committed, and I love that.“
Coach Yo
Coach Yo’s parents come from their home in the Bahamas to stay with their daughter during SEC play. Her father is a Hall of Fame coach who brings plenty of valuable experience and advice for his daughter.
But it’s not just her dad who is into it.
“When I walk into the house, they’re (her husband and her dad) in another room breaking down the next opponent. Now they’ve got my mom doing it. So my mom is like, ‘Well, I’m watching film. So this is a basketball family.”
Coach Yo
And now the youngest member of the family is growing just as engaged.
“And I think we broke through to our six-year-old yesterday because we were leaving the hotel room, and I said, ‘Yuri, where’s your tablet?’ She said, ‘I’m not taking my tablet, I’m going to watch the game.’ I gave her a high five, and she had so much pride.”
As for Coach Yo and Team 49, they are the pride of Oxford, Mississippi.
Next up for the Rebels is a matchup with Notre Dame. Tip from Purcell Pavilion for the Monday matinee is slated for 1:00 p.m. CT, airing on ESPN.
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn's love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
