MINNEAPOLIS -- Bill McKee, who has led dramatic turnarounds of several basketball programs during his coaching career, has been hired as the new head coach for the Augsburg College women's basketball team, the athletic department announced on Friday.

McKee has served as head coach for the Mounds View (Minn.) High School girls' basketball program for the past three seasons. Prior to coaching at Mounds View, he served as men's basketball head coach at Anoka-Ramsey Community College (2006-08), and as boys' basketball head coach at Blaine (2001-06) and Cretin-Derham Hall (1995-2001) high schools. He also served as an assistant coach for 10 seasons at the University of St. Thomas in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

“I'm very excited and enthusiastic about the opportunity to coach at Augsburg,” McKee said. “I'm happy to once again be coaching in the MIAC. I want to thank Athletic Director Jeff Swenson and the other search committee members for this opportunity.”

“Bill has a proven track record of turning around programs,” Swenson said. “He has produced positive results in his four head coaching positions, and he has extensive experience in the MIAC during his years at St. Thomas. We look forward to having him become a part of the Augsburg team.”

At Mounds View, McKee turned around a program that had recorded a 16-36 record in the two seasons prior to his arrival. In three seasons with the Mustangs, McKee finished with a 62-18 record, including a 24-4 mark in the 2009-10 season. This season, the Mustangs finished 21-6. McKee was named Section 5AAAA Coach of the Year in the 2008-09 season, after leading the Mustangs to a 17-8 finish.

At Cretin-Derham Hall, McKee led the Raiders to conference titles twice and was named both conference and section coach of the year three times. He was 29-2 in his final season with the Raiders in 2000-01, earning a trip to the state tournament.

At Blaine, he led the Bengals to the conference and section titles, earning a state tournament berth in the 2003-04 season, finishing 25-4. He was named section coach of the year that season. He was 18-8 in his last season as men's basketball coach at Anoka-Ramsey in 2007-08, with his team ranked as high as No. 6 in the country in the national junior college polls.

Prior to becoming a head coach, McKee served as a men's basketball assistant coach for 10 seasons at his alma mater, the University of St. Thomas, under head coach Steve Fritz. During his final seven seasons with the Tommies, he directed the team's offense, and his teams produced a 119-21 record during that span. He was part of six MIAC regular-season championships and four MIAC tournament title teams with the Tommies, including a berth in the NCAA Division III national championships in the 1993-94 season.

McKee was a team captain for both the basketball and track and field teams during his playing days at St. Thomas, as a member of four conference championship and three NAIA District 13 playoff title teams. The Tommie basketball team finished 59-5 in MIAC play during his four seasons.

McKee earned his bachelor's degree in sociology from St. Thomas, and later earned his master's degree in educational psychology there. Outside of coaching, McKee has worked as a supervisor in the Ramsey County Corrections department since 1989.

McKee replaces Jennifer Britz, who had served as Augsburg's head coach for seven seasons before resigning at the end of the 2010-11 season. Augsburg finished 5-20 this season, 4-18 in MIAC play.