THE MCKIE FILE

Personal Information

Full Name: James Gordon McKie
Born: Jan. 16, 1991
Hometown: Edinburgh, Scotland
Education: Drake, 2013; Fresno State, 2015
Wife: Taylor
Children: Stella, Oliver

Coaching Experience

2013-15:
Fresno State, Assistant Coach
2015-17:
Tulane, Assistant Coach
2017-19:
Tennessee, Assistant Coach
2019-Present:
Tennessee, Associate Head Coach

Playing Experience

2009-13:
Drake University

Coaching Honors

2017 ITA Southern Region Assistant Coach of the Year

Team Highlights

2019 NCAA Round of 16
2021 SEC Tournament Champions
2021 NCAA Semifinalists
2022 ITA Indoors Finalists
2022 NCAA Semifinalists
2023 NCAA Round of 16
2024 NCAA Quarterfinalists

Individual Highlights

No. 1 Ranked - Singles:
2024 - Johannus Monday; 2016 - Dominik Koepfer (Tulane)
No. 1 Ranked - Doubles:
2021 - Adam Walton/Pat Harper
NCAA Doubles Champions:
2021 - Pat Harper/Adam Walton
SEC Player of the Year:
2024 - Johannus Monday; 2023 - Johannus Monday
SEC Freshman of the Year:
2021 - Johannus Monday
All-American Selections:
15
All-SEC Selections:
16

The 2024-25 season marks Associate Head Coach James McKie's eighth year in Knoxville and his sixth as associate head coach. In the 2023-24 season, McKie helped lead the Big Orange to the NCAA Quarterfinals, which included an NCAA Super Regional appearance for the fifth consecutive season - marking Tennessee's most consecutive appearances in the Round of 16 or further since the tournament adopted its current 64-team format in 1999.

The 2022-23 campaign saw McKie help guide the Vols to a fourth consecutive NCAA Super Regional appearance, marking the program's most consecutive runs to the Round of 16 or further since 2008-11. His efforts on the recruiting trail helped land the nation's No. 3 recruiting class going into the 2023-24 season according to the Tennis Recruiting Network.

During the 2021-22 season, McKie aided the Vols to a second consecutive NCAA Semifinals appearance and a trip to the ITA Indoor National Championships for a second year in a row. McKie helped oversee four All-SEC selections, a pair of ITA Singles All-Americans and an All-American doubles duo in 2022

Following a COVID shortened year, McKie entered the 2020-21 campaign—his fourth year in East Tennessee—with a reloaded Vol Tennis squad that was a mixture of young and old talent. McKie helped guide the Vols to their best season in over a decade. UT qualified for the ITA Indoor National Championships for the first time since 2014, claimed the SEC Tournament Title for the first time since 2010 and advanced to the semifinal round of the NCAA Team Championship for the first time since 2010.

Tennessee's 28 dual victories in 2021 were the program's most since 2010 that saw the Orange & White knock off 19 ranked opponents (a total that consistently stood as the most in the country). McKie was also primarily responsible for the late development of graduate students Giles Hussey and Luca Wiedenmann into mainstays at the bottom of the Tennessee lineup, along with the development of Hussey and doubles partner, Mark Wallner as a consistent team at No. 3 doubles.

The 2019-20 season was McKie's third year on Rocky Top and first as associate head coach with the Tennessee men's tennis team. He helped lead the Vols to a 14-2 start - their best start since 2011 - before the season was cut short due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) health crisis. In just 16 matches, UT swept its opponents nine times, recording the most sweeps in a season by a Tennessee squad since 2013. The Vols had just begun SEC play when the season was canceled and stood at 2-1 after the first three league matches.

Following an impressive year one on Rocky Top, McKie helped to lead the Vols to even greater heights in year two. Tennessee finished the season with 22 wins, securing the program's first back-to-back 20 win seasons since 2010 and 2011. The Big Orange reached the SEC Championship final for the first time since 2013 and the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. Individually, Timo Stodder and Preston Touliatos earned All-America honors, Stodder in singles and doubles, while Touliatos earned the accolades in doubles. As a doubles team, Stodder and Touliatos made a run to the semifinal round at NCAAs, the farthest a UT doubles team has advanced since 2014.

In his debut season in Knoxville, McKie helped lead the Vols to their best season in five years, as the team posted a 21-9 mark and a fourth place finish in the SEC. He helped land the No. 17 recruiting class in the nation going into next season according to the Tennis Recruiting Network.

McKie previously served as assistant coach for two seasons at Tulane, helping the Green Wave put together historic success as a program and individually.

“He brings a wealth of knowledge to the tennis court for both our younger and more experienced players," Tennessee head coach Chris Woodruff said. "He has a jovial personality that relates to anyone, and he is a world-class recruiter. I look forward to having a long and prosperous working relationship with him.”

During the 2017 season, Tulane reached No. 20 in the national team rankings, its highest since 2005. The Green Wave reached the second round NCAA tournament both years, logging an 11-0 home record in 2017. McKie was named the 2017 ITA Southern Region Assistant Coach of the Year.

In individual performances, McKie helped guide Dominik Koepfer to the No. 1 national singles ranking and the ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship title. He was named the ITA National Senior Player of the Year.

Two additional players reached the national rankings: Constantin Schmitz at No. 13 and Ewan Moore at No. 77.

A native of Edinburgh, Scotland, McKie played college tennis at Drake from 2009-13. He climbed as high as No. 68 in singles and No. 16 in doubles in the ITA national rankings while finishing his career with 204 combined victories, the third most in program history. He was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year in 2013 and was a three-time all-conference recipient. During the last three years of his career, Drake swept the MVC regular-season and tournament titles.

McKie spent two years at Fresno State, helping the team win 20 matches over two seasons, including a 16-10 mark in 2015.

He graduated with his bachelor's degree in business administration from Drake University in 2013 and earned his masters degree in sports administration from Fresno State in 2015.