Nick Colella, Chief of Staff

Alma Mater

Penn State ’13, M’15

Season

10th

Hometown

New Castle, Pennsylvania

Family

Wife: Aly

Experience

2013-15 Penn State Graduate Manager 2015-20 Penn State Director of On-Campus Recruiting 2020-21 Penn State Director of Operations 2021-present Penn State Chief of Staff

Playing Experience

2008-10 Penn State Behrend

2010-13 Penn State

NICHOLAS COLELLA

CHIEF OF STAFF

Former Nittany Lion basketball player Nicholas Colella will begin his 10th season as a member of the Penn State men’s basketball staff in 2022-23 and second as the chief of staff for the program under head coach Micah Shrewsberry.

Colella is responsible for basketball operations and travel logistics, and serves as the team’s liason to departmental and external units. He served as the director of basketball operations for 2020-21 and was previously the program’s director of on-campus recruiting for five years, responsible for the coordination of official and unofficial prospective student-athlete visits.

In addition to his responsibilities related to recruiting future Nittany Lions, Colella also developed and maintained strong relationships with Penn State basketball letterwinners, alumni and donors. He also played an integral role with men’s basketball summer camps and assists with the coordination of community and camp appearances.

From New Castle, Pennsylvania, Colella wrapped up a playing career worthy of a movie script in 2013. He spent two years of his collegiate career at the NCAA Div. III Penn State-Behrend campus (Erie, Pennsylvania) before matriculating to the main campus, spending two weeks as practice player with the Lady Lions basketball team and then joining the Penn State team through the open walk-on tryout process in 2010.

A member of Penn State’s 2011 NCAA Tournament team, the left-hander worked his way into a significant role starting six-straight Big Ten games in 2011-12 and then earning a role as a team captain the following year. Colella was rewarded with a scholarship for his senior year.

In his senior campaign, he became a major part of the Nittany Lions’ core lineup starting 14 games and playing in all 31. In the final nonconference game of the 201213 season, Colella connected on five three-pointers for 15 points. He scored nine points in Penn State’s senior night victory over Michigan. The win over the fourth-ranked Wolverines was, at the time, the highest-ever in the Bryce Jordan Center.

Following his collegiate playing career, he served two seasons as a Penn State graduate manager before moving into a full-time role.

Colella holds two degrees from Penn State, a bachelor’s in kinesiology (2013) and a master’s in educational leadership (2015). He and his wife, Aly, were married in June 2021.