Aaron McKie has served a complimentary role during his basketball life, playing as a sixth-man in the NBA and serving as an assistant coach for more than 11 years. He spent six seasons on the Philadelphia 76ers’ bench and another five at his alma mater, Temple University.
McKie was named the head coach of Temple Men’s Basketball entering the 2019-2020 season, but his roster and staff still included names from previous seasons.
In his fourth season as head coach, McKie finally has his players, coaches and trainers. He began establishing a culture of dedication the first season after he took the position, but this became the first offseason where his vision for the program is coming to fruition.
McKie remains humble despite the team’s confidence, and keeps his players grounded amidst the excitement surrounding his program.
“It’s always speculation when you come into a season as to what a team could potentially be or look like,” McKie said. “Once you get out there and start playing other teams and other players and coaching against other coaches, that’s when you know what you got.”
During the offseason, McKie brought back most of the team’s integral pieces, as well as several players who will be able to contribute from day one, like Shane Dezonie from Vanderbilt University and Kur Jongkuch from University of Northern Colorado, according to coaches.
These players have bought into McKie’s hope for the team to improve, and the “All-In” mentality is shown through the extra hours of work put in after practices at Pearson-McGonigle Hall on Broad Street.
“If you watch any winning team, any winning program, any winning culture, it starts on the defensive side,” McKie said. “In order for us to be at the top of the American, we’ve got to defend and we’ve got to rebound the ball.”
The addition of University of Central Florida’s Jamille Reynolds provides the team with a big man of a caliber Temple has not had the past three seasons. Khalif Battle’s return alongside Damian Dunn will also showcase a full season of the All-Conference duo.
McKie has three seasons with the Owls under his belt, winning 45 percent of the games he has coached. His teams have finished 10th, ninth and fourth respectively during these seasons; with a revamped unit in 2022, the team is projected to finish fifth in The American Athletic Conference.
The AAC’s coaches’ expectations do not surpass Temple’s fourth-place finish last season, but the team is ready to take the nation by storm.
“I think we’re tournament or bust,” said sophomore forward Zach Hicks. “We’ve got a bunch of new guys, I really think we’re tournament or bust.”
Assistant coach Chris Clark, who has been on the Temple coaching staff since 2015, has witnessed the development of the program as a whole.
As a key recruiter alongside assistant coach Jimmy Fenerty, Clark understands McKie’s goal of bringing motivated players to Temple basketball.
“It takes time to build a program,” Clark said. “Coach McKie got his guys in. Not just his guys, but guys that are ready to win. We do feel good about the guys that we have in the locker room.”
McKie’s brand of basketball mirrors that of Temple coaches before him, and also adapted to the ever-changing basketball landscape. He approaches the game with patience, holding himself and his players accountable for their actions. At the same time, their talent can be seen with the windmill dunks and step-back threes some of his players can perform.
McKie does not want to take away from his players’ personalities, but rather form a cohesive environment where chemistry and team-focused play comes first.
“Everybody’s really understanding their role and where they fit in at,” McKie said. “They’ve been accepting of their roles and as they master those smaller roles they will start to expand a little bit more.”
The Owls’ personal goals this year include advancing far into the AAC Tournament, and receiving a potential bid into March Madness. For now, though, they are taking the season one game at a time.
“I’m not big on what things look like on paper,” McKie said. “Everything we do, we want to compete at doing it. I think the future is bright for not only Temple University, but today’s program.”
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