Women's Basketball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- mmckee2@kent.edu
- Phone:
- 330-672-8436
A fixture of Kent State Athletics for the past 16 years, former men’s basketball sharpshooter Mike McKee ('10) enters his sixth season as an assistant coach with the women’s basketball program in 2022-23. He heads the Golden Flashes’ player development efforts and primarily works with post players.
A four-year letterwinner and member of three Mid-American Conference championship teams (2006, 2008, 2010) as a student-athlete, McKee has been associated with Kent State since the 2005-06 season. During that time, Flashes teams have boasted six conference championships and participated in the postseason 10 times.
McKee has helped ignite the Golden Flashes’ recruiting efforts, as the Golden Flashes’ first two signing classes once he joined the staff both placed two student-athletes on the MAC All-Freshman Team. His work with Lindsey Thall has been helped the senior develop into one of the most versatile post players in league history. Thall became the third MAC student-athlete ever to total 100 three-point field goals and 100 blocked shots during just her second collegiate season. The conference’s top shot blocker in each of her first three seasons and a two-time MAC All-Defensive Team honoree currently ranks in the top-five in program history in three-point field goals, three-point field goal percentage and blocked shots.
In the 2021-22 season, Kent State's forwards continued to shine. Forwards Lindsey Thall and Nila Blackford were second and third on the team in scoring, respectively. Thall also tallied 27 blocks and shot .385 from three-point range. Blackford averaged 8.7 rebounds per game. The two helped the Flashes to a 19-12 record and wins over #19 UCLA and Penn State. The Flashes also won in the WNIT, getting a 68-59 win over Youngstown State in the first round. That win was the second in program history in postseason WNIT play.
Forward Nila Blackford was one of only three MAC players that averaged a double-double during the 2020-21 season and was named to the All-MAC Second Team. Blackford’s 10.2 boards per game average were the most by a Kent State player since Tracey Lynn (10.7 rpg) during the 1990-91 season. Her 11 double-doubles ranked 27th in the nation. She scored 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds against Toledo on Dec. 13 for the first 20-point, 15-rebound game since Anna Kowalska (27 points, 16 rebounds) against Robert Morris on Nov. 15, 2007.
Kent State won its second MAC East Division title over a four-year stretch during the 2019-20 season and was the highest-remaining seed in the MAC Tournament when it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nila Blackford earned a spot on the MAC All-Freshman Team and led all league newcomers in rebounding while posting the second-highest scoring average on the team.
The Flashes reached the 20-win mark for the first time in eight years during the 2018-19 season and finished with the highest RPI ranking (81) in program history. Kent State went on the road and defeated Green Bay in the first round of the Postseason WNIT for the program’s first-ever victory in the event. Lindsey Thall’s outstanding collegiate debut resulted in MAC All-Freshman Team honors. Thall led the conference in blocked shots per game (1.6) and was the top three-point shooter (45.8 percent) during league play. Her 66 three-point field goals were just five shy of tying Kent State’s single-season record. McKee also helped center Merissa Barber-Smith turn in a breakout senior season. After being sidelined for the final 17 games of the previous year, Barber-Smith led the Flashes with 7.6 rebounds per game and was fifth in the MAC in blocked shots per game (1.1).
During his first year on the women’s side, he was instrumental in the continued development of All-MAC First Team forward Jordan Korinek. Already a 1,000-point scorer through three seasons, Korinek finished second in the MAC at 19.8 points per game and her 634 points are the third-most scored by a Flash in program history.
After serving as the Director of Basketball Operations for the men's program for six years, McKee was hired by head coach Todd Starkey in April 2017. McKee, who spent the 2010-11 season as a graduate assistant before moving into the operations role, has contributed to three of Kent State’s six all-time NCAA Tournament appearances. He was a member of teams that won both the MAC regular season and tournament championships in 2006 and 2008. The Flashes also appeared in the 2017 NCAA Tournament to conclude his time with the men’s program.
A celebrated three-point marksman, McKee wrapped up his time on the court in style by leading the Golden Flashes to their second MAC Championship in three seasons in 2010. Kent State compiled a 24-10 overall record and advanced to the second round of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). Also a member of the 2008 Kent State team that went 28-7 and earned a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament, McKee drained 143 career three-pointers during his time with the Blue and Gold, ending his career tied for ninth all-time in school history. Additionally, he ranked eighth at Kent State with 128 games played and ninth with 92 wins to his credit.
The Plum, Pa. product was a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society and earned Academic All-MAC honorable mention accolades in 2009. McKee is a two-time graduate of Kent State University, earning his undergraduate degree in education in Dec. 2009 and his master’s in sports and recreation management in May 2011. Mike resides in Kent with his wife, Mary Catherine (MC), and their daughter, Macy.
