Maligi, who joined the Wildcats as part of Head Coach Jerome Tang's original coaching staff in April 2022, will now be part of new Texas head coach Sean Miller's initial staff in Austin. He spent the last three years in Manhattan.
Maligi has deep roots in the Lone Star State, having previously coached at Texas Tech from 2019 to 2021 and at Texas during the 2021–22 season. He has also served as an assistant coach at UT Arlington (2006–07), Stephen F. Austin (2007–10), Houston (2010–12), SMU (2012–15), and Texas A&M (2016–19). He has a total of 18 years of coaching experience.
According to his Kansas State bio, he has coached and/or recruited 27 NBA players during his career, including former Wildcats Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell. Both were All-Americans, and Nowell won the Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard.
Known primarily as a terrific recruiter, Maligi's pipelines into Texas appeared to have dried up in recent seasons, as he was unable to recapture some of that earlier magic in the Little Apple, missing out recently on several top-tier recruits.
Maligi was Tang's top assistant and listed as associate head coach. It is unclear who will fill the vacancy on the coaching staff.
With Maligi on staff, the Wildcats made a run to the Elite Eight in 2022-2023, finishing with 26 wins.
K-State finished this past season 16-17 overall and 9-11 in the Big 12, tying for ninth in the conference. They failed to make the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year.