Aaron McKie - Men's Basketball Coach

Photo by: John Marc Nutt

Aaron McKie

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
aaron.mckie@temple.edu
Phone:
215-204-7443

One of the greatest players in Temple Basketball history, Aaron McKie is in his fourth season as the head coach at his alma mater.

McKie officially took over the program where he starred under Hall of Fame coach John Chaney and served as an assistant coach for five seasons under Fran Dunphy, in April of 2019. He is the 18th head coach in Temple men’s basketball history, but just the fifth since Hall of Fame coach Harry Litwack took over the reins of the program in 1952. He is also the first alum to serve as the Owls’ head coach since Litwack, who won 373 games and made two Final Four appearances in his 21-year tenure.

His first season at the helm was a year of transition for the new Temple mentor. After starting the season with four straight wins, which is the best start by a first-year Temple coach since Josh Cody ('42-43), the Owls fell in a close contest, 76-69, to #5 Maryland. The team ended the calendar year with a 9-3 mark, but then 2020 took its toll.

Temple posted just one win in January, but that victory, a 65-53 defeat of #16 Wichita State, extended the program streak of 13 straight seasons with a win over a ranked foe. McKie also became the first first-year Temple coach to defeat a nationally-ranked team since 1952-53 (Harry Litwack).

After regrouping, the Owls finished the 2019-20 campaign with a 14-17 record with the season coming to abrupt end to the Covid-19 pandemic.

His second season was full of stop and starts due to the pandemic. Temple, which had a limited preseason due to health restrictions in the city of Philadelphia, was unable to open its season until Dec. 19, a home victory of NJIT, due to Covid protocol issues within the program.

These protocol issues would result in five stoppages during the season and the cancelation of all but 15 regular season games. Without able to gain a rhythm, the Owls struggled during the 2020-21 campaign, finishing with a 5-11 record, 4-10 in conference play.

Finally, with a normal preseason and a strong mix of veterans and newcomers, the Owls posted a 17-win season in 2021-22 despite losing leading scorer, Khalif Battle (21.4 ppg) in the seventh game. McKie rallied his team, and following a narrow loss to #12 Houston on Jan. 2, guided his Owls to six wins over the next seven games. That streak lifted Temple to a fourth-place finish in conference play, but the team fell in the quarterfinals of the AAC Tournament to end its season.

Prior to taking over as head coach, McKie served five seasons on Dunphy's staff at Temple, the last as associate head coach. In 2018-29, the Owls went 23-10, earned an NCAA Tournament berth and tied for third in the American Athletic Conference after being picked to finish sixth. The 20-win season was the third for Temple in McKie's five years on the staff, during which the Owls went to the NCAA Tournament twice and to the NIT Semifinals in 2015.

The Philadelphia basketball roots are deep for McKie and started in high school where he played at nearby Simon Gratz (’90). There, under the tutelage of legendary coach Bill Ellerbee, he helped lead the Bulldogs to the 1990 Philadelphia Public League Championship, their first title since 1939.

McKie then took his talents to North Broad Street to play under another legend in Chaney. Arguably one of the best players in Temple history, he had an incredible three-year playing career for the Owls (1991-92 through 1993-94) and is tied for sixth on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,650 points. A starter for all 92 games, he averaged 17.9 points per game while leading the Owls to three NCAA Tournaments and a trip to the 1993 Elite Eight. He earned many accolades during his heralded collegiate career, including Atlantic 10 Conference and Philadelphia Big 5 Player of the Year for his performance in the 1992-93 season, when he averaged a team-best 20.6 points per game.

Selected in the first round (17th overall) of the 1994 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, McKie played 13 seasons, including eight with the Philadelphia 76ers where he was coached by another basketball giant in Larry Brown. As a member of the Sixers in 2000-01, McKie enjoyed his best season, taking home Sixth Man of the Year honors while helping his hometown team reach the NBA Finals.

McKie has more than a decade of coaching experience. Besides serving as an assistant coach under Dunphy for the past five seasons, he was also a five-year assistant (2007-13) on the 76ers staff and helped lead the franchise to four NBA playoff appearances.

McKie resides in the Philadelphia area with his wife, Lisa, and their four children, Erin, Jaron, and twin sons Justin and Julian.

As a Coach:
2008-13: Philadelphia 76ers (assistant coach)
2014-18: Temple (assistant coach)
2018-19: Temple (associate head coach)
2019- : Temple (head coach)

As a Player:
1991-94: Temple
1994-97: Portland Trailblazers
1997: Detroit Pistons
1997-05: Philadelphia 76ers
2005-07: Los Angeles Lakers

Career Highlights:
2001: NBA Sixth Man of The Year
1994: First Team All-Atlantic 10 Conference
1994: First Team All-Big 5
1993: AP Honorable Mention All-America
1993: Atlantic 10 Player of the Year
1993: Philadelphia Big 5 Player of Year
1992: NCAA All-West Region
1992: First Team All-Atlantic 10 Conference
1992: First Team All-Big 5