Malkowiak’s attitude scoring big points in life
In Annie Malkowiak’s world the basketball spins, she continues to grin and in life she wins.
Every day has not been bright.
She has faced health issues and other obstacles.
Do not be fooled, however. She has been fighting and climbing since she was a standout basketball player with impressive scoring skills at Ellwood City High School.
She brought her enthusiasm, energy and scoring and basketball acumen to California University, as it was known then.
While scoring prowess on the court was evident, Malkowiak’s will meant much more than her skill.
That will and life lessons guide her today.
“I want to leave people better than when I meet them or found them in my life,” said the 50-year-old Malkowiak. “Everybody has bad days. I work hard not to show when I’m having one. I learned along the way to try and be helpful and not dwell on adversity or obstacles.”
Malkowiak has an immune deficiency. She has battled cancer and other health issues. She accentuates the positives.
She works out, walks and journals to keep her mind clear and to have a healthy outlook.
“Annie is a positively an infectious person,” said former Cal teammate and longtime friend Tammy McIntire Mandich, a fellow California Vulcan Hall of Fame women’s basketball standout. “No matter what is going on in her personal life, she finds the good in all things and she will make sure others around her feel her energy which lifts their spirits.
“As a teammate, we pushed each other to be better, to rise above and do our best. As an athlete, it felt like we came from the same mold. We worked hard, we never thought the challenge was too big and we hated to lose. As a friend, we have a special bond.”
Nick Mandich, Tammy’s husband, assisted the former coach, the late Paul Flores, at Cal. Malkowiak was Mandich’s first recruit, and one of his best, and the two are great friends today.
“I was attracted to her fiery play and her whole game, attitude and style,” Mandich said. “Her will to win and willingness to do the hard stuff was so apparent. I happened to run into her parents at a high school game and her father, Bill, and I became close.
“I stressed we needed to have Annie on our team. She was a great player for Cal. She was a great recruit and a great person. Annie was willing to do anything to win and have success. You can’t get better than that.”
At Ellwood City, Malkowiak finished with 2,368 career points – the most in WPIAL history at the time. She is a Lawrence County basketball legend and averaged 32.2 points as a senior and scored a school-record 59 points in a game. The first female or male from the county to score more than 2,000 points, Malkowiak was an All-State selection and was the Most Valuable Player of the first Pennsylvania Roundball Classic.
Malkowiak was a three-year starter for Flores and helped Cal post records of 18-9, 20-8, 18-8 and 18-8 from 1990 through 1993 with two PSAC playoff appearances.
She was the eighth Cal woman to score 1,000 points. She finished with 1,009 and was the team’s Most Valuable Player and leading scorer in 1991.
Malkowiak led the PSAC in free-throw percentage in 1992 and was 10th nationally with an 84.9 percentage. Her career three-point percentage of 37.8 percent was a school record when she graduated.
Life coach
Malkowiak earned a degree in elementary education in December of 1993 and a master’s degree in special education in the spring of 1996.
While completing her graduate work, Malkowiak served as the top assistant coach with the California Area High School girls team and was the Trojans’ head coach during the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons.
Malkowiak took a year off from coaching in 1998-99 but became the public address announcer for both the Vulcan women’s and men’s teams. She also served as head coach of the Uniontown High School girls team.
“Annie was a great player and she’s a great coach,” said current Vulcans women’s coach Jesse Strom. “She was vital to this program as a player, as an assistant coach and a person.”
During the summer, Malkowiak was hired as boys basketball coach at Mount Pleasant High School.
“It’s basketball,” she said. “Women coaching boys should not be abnormal. Men coach girls and women.
“It’s about basketball and building relationships. These boys have shown respect and they have responded.”
It is believed that Malkowiak is the fourth woman to coach a WPIAL boys basketball team.
Tanya Garner coaches the boys team at Nazareth Prep. Carol Gelet guided the 1997 Clairton boys to the WPIAL title.
“I hesitated at first because I knew this was different, not normal,” Malkowiak said. “But in 2023, it should be normal. I’ve thought about (the gender issue), but it’s not about me. It’s about the kids. These kids need positive role models in their lives. Positive influences. They need five solid people in life that can really have an impact. It doesn’t matter of they are male or female.
“I coached junior high and younger boys teams here. I feel good about it.”
Tammy Mandich has no doubt about her friend’s potential.
“It’s not about whether she can coach boys basketball,” she said. “Coaching is gender neutral. If you can coach, you can coach. She loves and understands the game. Her playing and coaching experiences over the years make her qualified. She knows her X’s and O’s but her most valuable trait is understanding athletes and how to motivate them to work hard. She gets the most out of her players if they buy in.”
All about Toby
Malkowiak is close with her mom. Her dad has since passed.
Then there is her dog, Toby, who recently turned 10-years-old.
He is her companion. In many car rides he serves as Malkowiak’s wing man.
Toby is a willing participant in walks, getting dressed up and simply having fun. He even has attended basketball practices.
“He’s the best,” Malkowiak said. “He’s a miniature Labradoodle. When people say he’s human, I must tell you, he really is.
“(Toby) is definitely overprotected. His anxiety when I am not around him is incredibly sad. There could be other people there and it doesn’t matter.
As for Toby’s birthday?
“He had himself an amazing day,” Malkowiak said.
Happily, there are a lot of those in Malkowiak’s life.