Former Memorial High School and Purdue University standout FahKara Malone enters her third season on the Purple Aces' coaching staff and first as an assistant coach in 2013-14.
“We are delighted to have FahKara join our women's basketball staff,” said Head Coach Oties Epps at the time of her hiring. “She is arguably one of the best players to come out of the Evansville area and was very successful as a student-athlete both on and off the court.”
A native of Evansville, Ind. and four-year standout at Memorial, Malone set ?the high school's record for steals. Four years later at Purdue, Malone set the same milestone with 351 career steals as a Boilermaker.
Malone marks one of nine players in Boilermaker history to be a four-year starter, and served three of those years as a team captain. Totaling 1,057 career points and 513 assists, Malone started 124 of 129 games, while leading her squad to postseason play every year and collecting a plethora of accolades.
During her tenure, Purdue made three visits to the NCAA Tournament, including two Elite Eight appearances, and a trip to the WNIT second round. Malone was a three-time Big Ten All-Defensive Team and Academic All-Big Ten selection.
As a freshman, she was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and started 36 of 37 games, becoming the first freshman to ?start over 90 percent of season since Erik Valek in 2000-01. In her sophomore season, Malone was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team, as well as, the Most Outstanding Player, as she led the Boilermakers to their second Big Ten Championship in as many years.
As a junior, she was forced to sit out nine games after suffering an open dislocation of her ?right ring finger, yet she still was named honorable mention All-Big Ten by the media. In her senior year, Malone was named a Big Ten Medal of Honor Nominee, the Big Ten's oldest award, given annually to a student in the graduating class of each university that demonstrated proficiency in scholarship and athletics.
“FahKara is very humble and passionate about women's basketball,” added Epps. “Her experiences, enthusiasm and love for the game are a welcome addition to our program.”
Malone graduated from Purdue in 2010 with a degree in Psychology. She is pursuing her masters in Public Health Administration at UE, while also being responsible for managing and assisting with day-to-day operations of the women's basketball program.
