James McKie - Men's Tennis Coach - Tulane University Athletics

James McKie

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
jmckie@tulane.edu
Alma Mater:
2nd Season

Assistant Coach James McKie will begin his third season with the Green Wave for the 2017-18 campaign. McKie's first season in New Orleans paid immediate dividends for the Wave, as Tulane achieved their first top-30 ranking since 2005 and qualified for their first NCAA Tournament in the post-Katrina era. McKie also guided Dominik Koepfer to a historic season, as the senior was the first Tulane national champion since 1955, capturing the ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship. Koepfer was also the program's first player to reach No. 1 in the Oracle/ITA national rankings, was a two-time NCAA All-American and the ITA National Men's Senior Player of the Year.

In McKie's second year, the Wave recorded post-Katrina bests in both wins (19-6) and in a national ranking (No. 20). Tulane went on to make its second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament where they nearly upset No. 10 Texas in the second round, up 3-1 with six match points to possibly end it. Other post-Katrina bests included a perfect 11-0 record at home and a No. 30 national ranking to end the year. Under McKie’s tutelage in singles play, junior Constantin Schmitz jumped from a career high ranking of No. 63 last year to No. 16 this season. Schmitz was also named the American Athletic Conference's Player of the Year and qualified for the NCAA Singles Championships. The Wave’s three other returnees in the singles lineup, in Chi-Shan Jao, Sebastian Rey and Tyler Schick, all saw their winning percentages increase this spring compared to last season. In addition, senior Sebastian Rey achieved his first ever ranking this spring at No. 110. Meanwhile, Tulane’s two freshmen in the singles lineup, Luis Erlenbusch (13-7) and Ewan Moore (16-6), each secured double-digit dual victories, with the latter being ranked at No. 125 midway through the season.

Before arriving to New Orleans, McKie completed two-year stint as assistant coach for the men's tennis squad at Fresno State. Along with head coach Evan Austin, McKie helped the Bulldogs compile 29 total victories over the two seasons, including a 16-10 record in 2015, a three win progression from the year before. In fact, Fresno State closed out the year ranked No. 65 in the country, marking their best finish under the coaching staff. The squad finished the regular season on a high note, winning 10 of their last 13 dual matches.

Prior to joining the Bulldogs in 2013, McKie played at Drake University from 2009-2013. During his collegiate career McKie reached a personal-high national ITA singles ranking of No. 68 and a doubles ranking of No. 16. He was named first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference and MVC regular season champion in 2011, 2012 and 2013. He also earned Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year in his senior year. In 2013, as captain, he helped Drake beat TCU to advance to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Championships where they eventually fell to No. 1 ranked UCLA. McKie was also a NCAA participant in 2011 and 2012. McKie finished his collegiate career with an overall 204-82 record, leaving him with the third-most wins in program history.

A native of Edinburgh, Scotland, McKie graduated with his bachelor's degree in business administration from Drake University in May of 2013. In addition he gained his masters degree in Sports Administration from Fresno State in 2015.