Long Time Winona State Men’s Basketball Asst. Coach, Zach Malvik, Announces He Is Leaving the Program After 14 Years as Player and Coach

Zach Malvik Courtesy of WSU

(KWNO)- Long time assistant Men’s Basketball coach for Winona State University, Zach Malvik, announced on Twitter that he will be leaving the program after 14 years as player and coach to take a job on the coaching staff at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Malvik will leave his coaching post with the warriors after eight seasons as a coach. Malvik was a former player for the Warriors, playing a huge role on the team during their historic run(s) of the 2000s in which they won multiple national titles.

Malvik said the reasoning behind the move was opportunity more than anything, and that it felt right for him and his family, so he couldn’t pass up the opportunity. The opportunity is certainly clear, Malvik will become an assistant coach at the Division 1 level. A move that furthers his career in the right direction.

Although many successful seasons as an assistant coach under Head Coach Todd Eisner, Malvik’s mark on the program comes primarily as a player. Playing from 2002 to 2007, Malvik was a four-time All-NSIC selection, a one-time All-American selection, A National Champion, 2nd all-time in assists, 3rd all-time in points, 4th all-time in games played, and top-10 all-time in three-pointers made. Malvik is also a two-time Hall of Fame inductee for Winona State athletics, garnering one selection for the ’05-’08 teams that went on unprecedented winning streaks and earned two national titles. He was inducted individually in 2019.

“There’s a lot I’ll miss about Winona. Have spent 14 years here between playing and coaching. I’ll miss working with Coach Eisner on a daily basis as we’ve become close friends over the last eight years and I’ll miss our guys and the relationships we have,” Malvik told the Winona Sports Network in a text message.

Eisner, who will enter his ninth season has head coach for the Warrior men, said of Malvik’s departure, “He was just all about Winona State Basketball…Heart, loyalty and commitment all in the right place…He was the total package.”

Malvik slowly worked his way into more and more responsibility as an assistant coach, eventually earning the title of Associate Head Coach in 2019.

For Eisner and the Warrior Men, they’ll have to find a replacement. Eisner knows that not just anyone can be Malvik’s replacement. First and foremost, Eisner says that they have to find the right fit, then he can start worrying about the kind of ‘X’s and O’s’ a potential replacement may bring. The process is early, and Eisner didn’t provide names for any potential candidates, but he said he’s spoken to a few people.

Eisner will have plenty of time to find a replacement, but the sooner he does, the quicker they can get to work.