Ellwood City Area Hall of Fame: Annie Malkowiak, LHS Basketball Star, Pays it Forward with Positivity

Note: This is the fourth story in a series highlighting the Ellwood City Area Hall of Fame Induction Class of 2022 leading up to the induction of the 2023 Hall of Fame class that will be announced at the October 6th Homecoming Game.

Lincoln Class of 1989 standout Annie Malkowiak has pretty much enjoyed a life in basketball and in general that has been a slam dunk.

She said that despite some health challenges, including Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy after getting the COVID vaccination and also battling blood cancer, she has remained positive and hasn’t stopped moving and loving basketball since the young age of six when she first took to the court in her Ellport neighborhood.

“Basketball gave me so much. There is so much more to basketball than just playing and I wanted to pay it forward.”

The modest Malkowiak has paid it forward in many ways and continues to pay it forward. She has been involved with special Olympics mainly in basketball and said her admiration for those athletes runs deep.

“They had challenges, but they approached the game of basketball and the game of life in the same way free spirited  and happy, and that’s what it is all about. I’ve always looked up to them. It didn’t matter the situation, they perservered. I have a major admiration for those people.”

And she continues to coach on a regular basis. She is the first female to coach a varsity boys basketball team in Westmoreland County for Mt. Pleasant High School.

However, it isn’t the first boys team she has coached. She was giving a friend’s son one-on-one lessons, and he talked her into coaching a 6th and 7th grade boys team in Uniontown.

Historically, and although changing these days, men coached the boys. But Malkowiak has been with the boys her entire life starting as that six-year-old on the court in Ellport.

“My parents backyard butted up to the park where there are two full courts. There were no cell phones, no social media. Just the hoops. Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I’d play basketball from sunup to sundown. It was me and all the boys. I grew up as one of the boys, and it was OK, because I learned how to play basketball. There weren’t a lot of girls playing, but there were a ton of boys. I went to BVM catholic school and there was no girls basketball, so I got to play on the boys team. When traveling to other schools, they didn’t want to let me into the gym to play because I was a girl, but the dads on my 6th grade team got me in to play.”

Once Malkowiak reached high school, times had changed a bit and there was a girls team. During her time at LHS, Malkowiak amassed 2,368 points as a member of the girls’ basketball team. Malkowiak holds a school record of 59 points in a single game, and a single season scoring record of 773 points. She was named first team, all­-section by the Pittsburgh Post Gazette her freshman, sophomore, and junior seasons, and was also the leading scorer in Section 7 AAA during that time. In her junior year, she was the 3rd leading scorer in the WPIAL, with 26.2 points per game, and she is also the all-time leading scorer in both Beaver and Lawrence County. Additionally, Malkowiak was named to the Mars Christmas Tournament All-Star Team and was selected as the MVP for her incredible performance on the court. She played in the AAU Junior Olympics in Miami, Florida, averaging 10 points per game. Malkowiak earned the distinction of being the first Lincoln athlete, boy or girl, to score 2,000 points, and she remains the all-time leading scorer for Lincoln High School. Her jerseys are hanging in the trophy case outside the gym and are retired. While setting records and earning accolades on the court, Malkowiak was an Honor Roll student who maintained a 3.4 QPA.

Annie with Coach K

Malkowiak continued her basketball career at California University of Pennsylvania, where she became the eighth of 13 Cal U women to surpass the prestigious 1,000-point plateau. She finished with 1,009 career points at Cal. Malkowiak has been inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, Lawrence County Hall of Fame, California University of Pennsylvania Hall of Fame, and the Pennsylvania State Hall of Fame.

But even with all of those amazing accomplishments, she remains selfless to this day.

“My accomplishments couldn’t have happened without my teammates. I’m proud that I’ve taken what I’ve learned and been able to pass it down to kids. I’ve been able to give back.”

And although Malkowiak does find pride in that long list of accolades, one of the most memorable moments for her was in junior high basketball.

“We had longest losing streak … almost 69 games, and our group broke that streak. We went on to have a winning record. We made playoffs for first time in history. People were packing the gym. The bus ride home after winning was so much fun bonding with the team. It was special because it was hard to do being in a section with Beaver Falls.”

Malkowiak credits her parents with her successes on and off the court.

“My parents didn’t have the opportunities I did growing up. I never knew how truly hard it was for them. They didn’t have everything, but they made sure we did.”

She also admires Coach Michael William Krzyzewski, better known as “Coach K.”

He served as the head coach at Duke University from 1980 to 2022, during which he led the Blue Devils to five national titles, 13 Final Fours, 15 ACC tournament championships, and 13 ACC regular season titles. He is an inspiration to Malkowiak.

“He took me to the final four as his guest. It’s great to admire someone outside of your family like him. He was everything I thought he was and then some.”

In her free time, which is limited outside of her coaching and her job as a family mentor for Reed Cyberschool, Malkowiak likes to stay active. She enjoys fishing, biking, hiking and many sports.

“I’m not good at anything that requires sitting. I can’t sit still. I have too much energy.”

And that’s a good thing because the light of Malkowiak’s life is her mini labradoodle, Toby. He keeps her running.

“He’s pretty famous. We ended up on the Ellen Show.”

She also loves to be in nature, on the water, in the woods, and writes poetry and does some motivational speaking.

She approaches life with positivity and humor.

“I like humor and face everything with humor and jokes. If I can face something hard with grace and humor, maybe I can help others.”

And in all that she was, is, and will be, Malkowiak is thankful and finds peace in that. It reflects in her daily routine and in the way she treats others.

“I meditate for about 15 to 20 minutes per day, and journal. And no matter how bad or good day is, I find something positive in it. If you are feeling down I suggest getting up in morning write down three things you are thankful for … then three things from that day you are thankful for before going to bed then see how that can change your mindset to seeing good and not bad. I make sure even on worst days that I try to make three people’s day. Three good deeds. If you are doing a good deed, how can you have a bad day? My heart goes first. I want to make sure people know I love and care about them.”

And as far as coaching goes. Malkowiak is excited to continue molding young lives through sports.

“Sports can translate from court to life. I see coaching as an opportunity to teach these kids discipline like how to be a good team mate and pushing through difficult things.It’s mind over matter. I believe that God made me an athlete to know how to approach life. I take everything as a game and apply that mindfulness to life. If these kids can learn it now, they will be set.”