Louisiana Tech hired former Bulldog and NBA star Karl Malone as its director of basketball promotion and assistant strength and conditioning coach.

Malone immediately donated $350,000 to the athletics department Wednesday.

"It felt like the right thing to do," said Malone, who came to Louisiana Tech in 1982 and left as a junior when the Utah Jazz drafted him. "It's very exciting for me to be able to."

The donation includes $300,000 toward a new floor on the basketball court at the Thomas Assembly Center, which opened in 1982, Malone's freshman year.

The other $50,000 is for the volleyball program, to recognize achievement in spite of tight budgets. The volleyball team, 6-28 overall and 0-16 in the Western Athletic Conference last year, is 35-24 and 14-10 this season.