University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire Men's Basketball

Zach Malvik enters his second year as Head Men's Basketball Coach at UW-Eau Claire in 2025-26. He was named the 11th head men's basketball coach in Blugolds history in April of 2024. Malvik joined UW-Eau Claire after one season as an assistant coach at NCAA Division I Green Bay, where he helped the Phoenix pull off one of the most impressive single-season turnarounds in all of college basketball in the 2023-24 campaign. Green Bay posted a 3-29 record in the 2022-23 season, but under the guidance of a new coaching staff which included Malvik, the Phoenix went 18-14 in 2023-24 and contended for the Horizon League title. Prior to his time at Green Bay, Malvik spent nine seasons coaching at Winona State, his alma mater. Malvik served as the Warriors' associate head coach from 2019-22 and was an assistant coach from 2014-19. He also coached one season at St. Mary's University in Minnesota in 2013-14. In addition to his coaching experience, Malvik has an extensive background in the game as a championship-caliber player. He starred on the 2005-06 Winona State team that won the NCAA Division II national championship and was a key cog for the Warriors as they won a Division II record 57 straight games and appeared in back-to-back national championship games across 2006 and 2007. Malvik was an All-American in 2007 and ranks third on Winona State's all-time scoring list with 1,971 career points. After playing at Winona State, Malvik spent three seasons playing professionally with the Kilsyth Cobras in Australia.

Adam Smith enters his second year as an Assistant Men's Basketball Coach in 2025-26. Smith joined UW-Eau Claire after three years with the University of Wisconsin. He was a graduate assistant with the Badgers from 2021-2023 before serving as the program’s Video and Operations Analyst in the 2023-24 campaign. He was part of Wisconsin's 2022 Big Ten Conference regular season championship and the Badgers' NCAA Tournament teams in 2022 and 2024. Smith’s stint with the Badgers was preceded by one year as a student assistant at Minnesota Duluth. The Kaukauna, Wisconsin, native played for the Bulldogs from 2017-20 before moving into an assistant role for the 2020-21 season. He graduated from Minnesota Duluth with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 2021 and later earned a Master of Science degree at Wisconsin.

Brady Vest enters his first season as an assistant coach with the UW-Eau Claire men's basketball program in 2025-26. Vest was hired in the summer of 2025 and joined the Blugolds after two years at Messiah University, where he was a graduate assistant coach with the men's basketball team. At Messiah, Vest helped develop two All-Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth players. He led the Falcons' recruiting efforts in addition to compiling scouting reports and helping organize team operations. The Myrtle Beach, South Carolina native also has several years of experience coaching on the AAU circuit. Most recently, he worked with West Virginia Gold from 2024-25, leading the program's 2027 Pro16 Circuit team. He also coached with Iowa Barnstormers in 2023. Prior to his AAU experience, he was an assistant coach with the Myrtle Beach High School boys basketball program. Vest got into coaching after a playing career at Grinnell College. He was a two-time team captain for Grinnell in a playing career that spanned from 2018 to 2023. He was a two-time academic all-conference honoree.