McKie, a 6-foot-3 guard from St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia, committed to the Dayton Flyers in September, joining 6-10 Cleveland St. Ignatius forward Damon Friery in UD’s 2025 recruiting class.
Two 6-5 guard transfers have joined McKie and Friery in the group of newcomers joining the 2025-26 roster: De’Shayne Montgomery, who has played at Georgia and Mount St. Mary’s; and Jordan Derkack, who has played at Rutgers and Merrimack. The search for more transfers continues for the Dayton coaching staff.
McKie hopes to compete for playing time as a freshman.
“That’s the main goal,” he said, “just trying to get on the floor as much as possible, doing whatever it takes.”
As a senior, McKie was named to the Philadelphia Catholic League first team for the third time. He averaged 15.0 points, 2.2 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game. He shot 47.5% (67 of 141) from 3-point range.
“It was a good season,” he said. “I got to play more of a leadership role because we had a lot of younger guys on our team. We started off the year a little shaky. We didn’t do that good in a tournament in Las Vegas, but we came back, won our league and then lost in the semifinals.”
St. Joseph’s Prep won the Philadelphia Catholic League title with a 12-1 mark. McKie ranked second on the team in scoring behind Florida Gulf Coast recruit Jordan Ellerbee (17.0 points per game).
McKie’s brothers, Julian and Justin, were freshmen this season. Julian came off the bench for the varsity team. Justin appeared in four varsity games but mostly played reserve. All three brothers scored in one game early in the season.
“It was a cool experience,” Jaron said. “I would always watch them play. I had never played on the same team as them.”
St. Joseph’s Prep’s season ended with a 89-61 loss in the PCL tournament to Father Judge High School, the only team to beat it in PCL play in the regular season, on Feb. 19. The game took place at The Palestra, a famous Philadelphia arena at the University of Pennsylvania.
McKie will play in another iconic arena in college. He experienced a game at UD Arena for the first time in November, sitting behind the UD bench with Friery when Dayton beat Northwestern 71-66.
“They were down and came back,” McKie said, “and I just heard the fans rooting and cheering for them. It was a really cool game.”
McKie kept in touch with the Dayton coaches throughout the season, talking to associate head coach Ricardo Greer or head coach Anthony Grant, who would check in with him once or twice a month. McKie also traveled to Washington, D.C., to see the Flyers play in the A-10 tournament in March.
Soon McKie will be on campus, hoping to make an impact as a freshman. He said his decision making and playmaking improved as a senior.
“I feel like I can bring the energy every day in practice and games,” he said. “I also feel like I can help with scoring, shooting the ball, spacing. I can handle the ball.”
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