Men's Basketball
Maligi, Ulric
Ulric Maligi
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
Ulric Maligi (your-ick mowl-uh-ghee), a strong recruiter with deep ties in the Lone Star State, joined the Texas A&M basketball staff in April 2016 where his responsibilities include on-the-court coaching, scouting and recruiting.
A native of Arlington, Texas, Maligi brought to Aggieland an impressive resume that includes attracting some of the country’s top players to previous collegiate coaching stops at SMU (2012-15), Houston (2010-12) and Stephen F. Austin (2007-10). Most recently, he served as the national scouting director for John Lucas Enterprises where he assisted in identifying and evaluating talent from across the nation.
From 2012-2015, Maligi coached alongside legendary collegiate and NBA head coach Larry Brown at SMU, helping revive the Mustang program.
In his second season (2013-14), SMU went 27-10, earning a No. 1 seed in the NIT and eventually reaching the title game at Madison Square Garden in New York. SMU was in the top 25 in four of the last five regular season polls, being ranked for the first time since 1984-85. The Mustangs tied a program record with four wins over ranked teams and set a single-season home attendance record that included nine sellouts in the renovated Moody Coliseum. The Mustangs tied for the third-best turnaround in the nation, finishing with 12 more wins after a 15-17 record in 2012-13.
SMU finished tied for third in the inaugural season of the American Athletic Conference, going 12-6 with two wins over NCAA Champion Connecticut as well as wins over NCAA Tournament teams Cincinnati and Memphis. The Mustangs led the league and finished in the top-20 nationally in field goal percentage (48.3%, 18th NCAA) and field goal percentage defense (38.5%, 7th NCAA).
In his first season (2012-13), the Mustangs led Conference USA in field goal percentage defense (.395, 29th NCAA), which was the best since 1961-62. SMU also led C-USA in free throw percentage (.745) while ranking second in scoring defense (62.7). The Mustangs' recruiting class also ranked as high as No. 14 nationally; including McDonald's All-American Keith Frazier and NJCAA All-American Yanick Moreira.
Maligi came to the Hilltop after spending two seasons (2010-12) as an assistant coach at the Univeristy of Houston. In his years at UH, he helped sign a pair of outstanding groups. The 2011 class included TaShawn Thomas, an ESPN top-100 signee that was named to the C-USA All-Freshman team in 2011-12 and All-C-USA first team in 2012-13. The class of 2012 was ranked in the top 20, and included two ESPN top-100 signees in Danrad "Chicken" Knowles and 2012-13 C-USA Freshman of the Year Danuel House. Ironically, House would leave UH for Texas A&M where he developed into one of the nation’s top scorers, twice earning All-SEC honors and garnering honorable mention All-American accolades from the Associated Press in 2016.
In June 2011, Maligi joined some of the most talented coaches from across the country for the NCAA and BCA Achieving Coaching Excellence (ACE) Program in Indianapolis. The ACE Program was created to prepare racial and ethnic minority basketball coaches for success as future head coaches. Maligi received training and education in leadership, communication, campus relations, media, community involvement and program management while interacting with current NCAA head coaches, directors of athletics and administrators.
Prior to his time at Houston, Maligi spent three seasons (2007-10) as an assistant coach at Stephen F. Austin. Maligi helped lead the program to 23 or more wins each season, for a 73-23 (.760) combined record. In 2009, the Lumberjacks made their first NCAA Tournament after winning the Southland Conference Tournament. SFA also reached the NIT in 2008.
While at SFA, Maligi recruited Walt Harris, who was ranked in the top 75 nationally by most junior college recruiting services in 2008. Harris was named to the 2010 All-Southland Conference Third Team.
Maligi also recruited highly touted junior college transfer Jordan Glynn, who was named to the 2011 All-SLC Second Team. He coached several other All-SLC performers, including the 2008 and 2009 SLC Players of the Year in Josh Alexander and Matt Kingsley, respectively, as well as 2011 All-SLC First-Team selection Jereal Scott and 2010 All-SLC Second-Team honoree Eddie Williams. Alexander and Kingsley were also tabbed honorable mention All-America.
Before joining SFA, Maligi worked the 2006-07 season as an assistant coach at UT Arlington. While at UTA, he recruited Boston College transfer and 2009-10 SLC Player of the Year and All-America Honorable Mention Marquez Haynes, who finished third nationally with 22.6 points per game. He also recruited LaMarcus Reed to UTA, who was named First-Team All-Southland Conference in 2011-12.
From 2003 to 2006, Maligi served as a coach of the Dallas Mustangs AAU program. During his stint, the program saw more than 50 of its players sign National Letters of Intent with NCAA Division I teams, including high dchool All-Americans Byron Eaton (Oklahoma State) and Anthony Randolph (LSU), in addition to Donald Sloan (Texas A&M) and Wesley Johnson (Syracuse) of the New Orleans Pelicans. He also coached Austin Jackson of the New York Mets and Michael Crabtree of the Baltimore Ravens.
He spent three seasons (2002-05) as the head manager at Howard University. Breaking into the coaching ranks, Maligi assisted the Bison coaching staff in film exchange, on-campus recruiting, assisting in academic monitoring, coordinating pregame and postgame meals, and selecting and supervising all student managers.”
Maligi received his bachelor's degree in exercise physiology from Howard in 2006. He and his wife Dr. Courtney B. Maligi were married in May of 2012.
A native of Arlington, Texas, Maligi brought to Aggieland an impressive resume that includes attracting some of the country’s top players to previous collegiate coaching stops at SMU (2012-15), Houston (2010-12) and Stephen F. Austin (2007-10). Most recently, he served as the national scouting director for John Lucas Enterprises where he assisted in identifying and evaluating talent from across the nation.
From 2012-2015, Maligi coached alongside legendary collegiate and NBA head coach Larry Brown at SMU, helping revive the Mustang program.
In his second season (2013-14), SMU went 27-10, earning a No. 1 seed in the NIT and eventually reaching the title game at Madison Square Garden in New York. SMU was in the top 25 in four of the last five regular season polls, being ranked for the first time since 1984-85. The Mustangs tied a program record with four wins over ranked teams and set a single-season home attendance record that included nine sellouts in the renovated Moody Coliseum. The Mustangs tied for the third-best turnaround in the nation, finishing with 12 more wins after a 15-17 record in 2012-13.
SMU finished tied for third in the inaugural season of the American Athletic Conference, going 12-6 with two wins over NCAA Champion Connecticut as well as wins over NCAA Tournament teams Cincinnati and Memphis. The Mustangs led the league and finished in the top-20 nationally in field goal percentage (48.3%, 18th NCAA) and field goal percentage defense (38.5%, 7th NCAA).
In his first season (2012-13), the Mustangs led Conference USA in field goal percentage defense (.395, 29th NCAA), which was the best since 1961-62. SMU also led C-USA in free throw percentage (.745) while ranking second in scoring defense (62.7). The Mustangs' recruiting class also ranked as high as No. 14 nationally; including McDonald's All-American Keith Frazier and NJCAA All-American Yanick Moreira.
Maligi came to the Hilltop after spending two seasons (2010-12) as an assistant coach at the Univeristy of Houston. In his years at UH, he helped sign a pair of outstanding groups. The 2011 class included TaShawn Thomas, an ESPN top-100 signee that was named to the C-USA All-Freshman team in 2011-12 and All-C-USA first team in 2012-13. The class of 2012 was ranked in the top 20, and included two ESPN top-100 signees in Danrad "Chicken" Knowles and 2012-13 C-USA Freshman of the Year Danuel House. Ironically, House would leave UH for Texas A&M where he developed into one of the nation’s top scorers, twice earning All-SEC honors and garnering honorable mention All-American accolades from the Associated Press in 2016.
In June 2011, Maligi joined some of the most talented coaches from across the country for the NCAA and BCA Achieving Coaching Excellence (ACE) Program in Indianapolis. The ACE Program was created to prepare racial and ethnic minority basketball coaches for success as future head coaches. Maligi received training and education in leadership, communication, campus relations, media, community involvement and program management while interacting with current NCAA head coaches, directors of athletics and administrators.
Prior to his time at Houston, Maligi spent three seasons (2007-10) as an assistant coach at Stephen F. Austin. Maligi helped lead the program to 23 or more wins each season, for a 73-23 (.760) combined record. In 2009, the Lumberjacks made their first NCAA Tournament after winning the Southland Conference Tournament. SFA also reached the NIT in 2008.
While at SFA, Maligi recruited Walt Harris, who was ranked in the top 75 nationally by most junior college recruiting services in 2008. Harris was named to the 2010 All-Southland Conference Third Team.
Maligi also recruited highly touted junior college transfer Jordan Glynn, who was named to the 2011 All-SLC Second Team. He coached several other All-SLC performers, including the 2008 and 2009 SLC Players of the Year in Josh Alexander and Matt Kingsley, respectively, as well as 2011 All-SLC First-Team selection Jereal Scott and 2010 All-SLC Second-Team honoree Eddie Williams. Alexander and Kingsley were also tabbed honorable mention All-America.
Before joining SFA, Maligi worked the 2006-07 season as an assistant coach at UT Arlington. While at UTA, he recruited Boston College transfer and 2009-10 SLC Player of the Year and All-America Honorable Mention Marquez Haynes, who finished third nationally with 22.6 points per game. He also recruited LaMarcus Reed to UTA, who was named First-Team All-Southland Conference in 2011-12.
From 2003 to 2006, Maligi served as a coach of the Dallas Mustangs AAU program. During his stint, the program saw more than 50 of its players sign National Letters of Intent with NCAA Division I teams, including high dchool All-Americans Byron Eaton (Oklahoma State) and Anthony Randolph (LSU), in addition to Donald Sloan (Texas A&M) and Wesley Johnson (Syracuse) of the New Orleans Pelicans. He also coached Austin Jackson of the New York Mets and Michael Crabtree of the Baltimore Ravens.
He spent three seasons (2002-05) as the head manager at Howard University. Breaking into the coaching ranks, Maligi assisted the Bison coaching staff in film exchange, on-campus recruiting, assisting in academic monitoring, coordinating pregame and postgame meals, and selecting and supervising all student managers.”
Maligi received his bachelor's degree in exercise physiology from Howard in 2006. He and his wife Dr. Courtney B. Maligi were married in May of 2012.
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