June 6, 2007

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack basketball program announced Wednesday the addition of two assistant coaches for the 2007-08 season. Ulric Maligi and Doug Karleskint will join head coach Danny Kaspar's staff in place of former assistants David Peavy and John Curta, who left the program this spring to pursue other coaching opportunities.

Maligi comes to SFA after spending last season on staff with Southland Conference foe Texas-Arlington. Maligi helped guide the Mavericks to an SLC Tournament berth and aided in the recruitment of a signing class that included three of the top 35 prep athletes in the state of Texas, one of whom was a national Top 100 player.

Prior to joining the UTA staff, Maligi spent two years as head coach of the Dallas Mustangs AAU club team. During his time at the helm, the Mustangs saw 41 players sign Division I scholarships. Included in the fold were McDonald's All-American Byron Eaton (Oklahoma State) and EA Sports Roundball All-Star Anthony Randolph (LSU). Maligi began his coaching career as a student assistant at Howard, serving in that capacity for three seasons.

Maligi graduated with honors from Howard in 2006, earning a bachelor's degree in exercise physiology. He is a native of Charlotte, NC, but moved to Texas in time to finish his high school career at Arlington Bowie.

Karleskint most recently served as a graduate assistant at Northwest Missouri State, but he is no newcomer to the collegiate coaching ranks. Prior to his two-year stint in Maryville, Mo., Karleskint made two separate stops as an assistant coach. He spent the 2003-04 season on staff at Fort Scott Community College in Fort Scott, Kan., then took a position at Georgetown College in Georgetown, Ky., for the 2004-05 campaign.

In two seasons at Northwest Missouri State, Karleskint assisted in all areas of the basketball program, helping the team post back-to-back 20-win seasons and a Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association Regular-Season championship in 2007.

Karleskint served as the recruiting coordinator at Fort Scott, while implementing and supervising the team's academic monitoring program. Under his watch, each player on the squad earned at least a 2.5 grade-point average. At Georgetown, Karleskint was in charge of high school recruiting in Ohio and Northern. Georgetown finished the 2004-05 season with a 29-6 overall record and a No. 3 national ranking in the final NAIA Poll.

Karleskint holds a master's degree in education with emphasis on athletic administration, obtained this spring at Northwest Missouri State. He earned his bachelor's degree in sports management in 2003 from MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Kan. Karleskint is married to the former Kyla Boots.

-- SFA --