‘Somewhere I want to be’ — newest Dayton recruit swayed by people, environment on UD campus

The players do get a choice in the color of uniform they want to wear.

“I liked that one the most,” McKie said Sunday. “It’s beautiful.”

McKie, a 6-foot-3, 155-pound guard from St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia, announced his commitment to Dayton on Saturday night. He joins the 6-foot-10 Cleveland St. Ignatius forward Friery, who committed to Dayton last week, in UD’s 2025 class.

McKie broke the news of his commitment to Dayton head coach Anthony Grant in a text message. Then he spoke to Grant on Facetime. Associate head coach Ricardo Greer then called him. Other staff members reached out by text message.

All those same people, many of whom he met for the first time during his visit, were the reason McKie chose Dayton.

“Everybody was nice — the coaches, the players,” McKie said. “The environment is something that I wanted to be around. I want to be surrounded by good people who want to win, and they’re dedicated to their fan base. The campus is beautiful. The arena is amazing. It’s somewhere I want to be.”

Dayton started recruiting McKie in June. He first talked to the coaches over a Zoom call. They then watched him at Philly Live and Peach Jam, two summer basketball showcases for recruits.

McKie announced June 25 he received a scholarship offer from Dayton. He visited the UD campus the weekend of Sept. 7.

Greer, a New York City native (Washington Heights, to be specific) who has the strongest East Coast connections of the UD assistants, was the first coach McKie heard from during the recruiting process.

“He’s just a good guy, full of energy,” McKie said. “And then coach Grant, he’s also a good guy, a solid guy. He’s also great to be around.”

McKie watched Dayton practice during his official visit and saw Grant encouraging the players and motivating them.

“He’s someone I want to be coached by,” McKie said.

McKie visited campus with his parents, Aaron and Lisa. Aaron McKie, who scored 1,650 points in three seasons at Temple (1991-94), never played at UD Arena but did coach there at the First Four in 2019. He was an assistant coach when Temple lost 81-70 to Belmont.

Aaron played in the NBA from 1994-2007 with four teams. He was the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2001 with the Philadelphia 76ers, who won the Eastern Conference championship that season.

Aaron spent five seasons (2014-19) as an assistant coach on Fran Dunphy’s staff at Temple before being named the head coach in 2019. He led the program for four seasons before taking a new role as a special advisor to the athletic department in 2023.

Aaron McKie committed to Temple in April 1990, choosing his hometown school over Coppin State, Duquesne and Ohio, according to a Philadelphia Inquirer story from that year. His dad’s experience on both ends of recruiting — as a player and later as a coach — provided an assist for Jaron.

“It’s been really helpful because he can coach me and guide me through it,” Jaron said. “He knows the tips and tricks and stuff like that in recruiting. So he just helps me try to zone in to make the best decision for me.”

Aaron was a 6-5, 195-pound guard in high school. Jaron said they play a similar style.

“All my life he’s the only person that’s worked me out,” he said, “so I’ve just taken everything that he’s done and implemented it into my game.”

McKie averaged 18.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game as a junior, according to the Philadelphia Sports Digest, making 63 3-pointers and shooting 47.1% from 3-point range. He said shooting and scoring are his strengths.

“I can get to the rim a little,” McKie said. “Mid-range and 3s, that’s what I like to do.”

McKie is a four-star recruit in the ESPN 100 rankings. He’s No. 86 on that list. Mike Sharavjamts, No. 100 on that list in 2022, was the last UD recruit to be on that list. DaRon Holmes II ranked 46th on that list in 2021.

McKie made up his mind to attend Dayton during the plane ride home. He visited a hometown school, Saint Joseph’s, a week before his trip to Dayton. He said his mom’s opinion helped push him toward Dayton.

“She just said she could really see me being there,” McKie said. “She liked everybody that was there, and she thought the place was beautiful.”