STATE COLLEGE — The Penn State men’s basketball team announced the hiring of assistant coach Mike Farrelly on Monday.
Farrelly, whose addition was reported by Yahoo Sports over the weekend, is the third assistant coach hire for new coach Micah Shrewsberry.
“Mike is going to be very impactful in our program,” Shrewsberry said in a news release. “The energy he brings on a daily basis is second to none. The relationships he builds in recruiting and with his players is a big reason why he has had success at every stop in his career. He did a fantastic job in his role as the acting head coach at Hofstra last season, and I think he is a rising star in this business.”
Farrelly joins associate head coach Adam Fisher and assistant coach Aki Collins on Shrewsberry’s first staff.
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After spending seven years at Hofstra as an assistant, Farrelly took over for his longtime boss Joe Mihalich for the 2020-21 season because of an unspecified health issue for Mihalich. Farrelly coached the Pride to a 13-10 overall record and 8-6 record in the Colonial Athletic Conference, which was good for fourth place.
Farrelly has also worked at Niagara, Mount St. Mary’s and Wilkes University, and he also served as the director of Hoop Group Elite, one of the nation’s largest basketball camps in the late 2000s.
Farrelly played for Phil Martelli at St. Joseph’s in the early 2000s.
“My family and I are so excited to be coming to Happy Valley,” Farrelly said in a news release. “We are unbelievably grateful to Coach Shrewsberry for this opportunity. Coach has a great vision for this program. I can’t wait to get to work to help him build it and to help our student-athletes reach their dreams.”
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In addition to the hiring of Farrelly, Shrewsberry announced he’s retaining two former Penn State stars within his program. Talor Battle will be the assistant to the head coach, while Nick Colella will be the chief of staff. Battle spent last season as an assistant coach, while Colella was the director of basketball operations.
Battle is the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,213 points, and he earned honorable mention All-American honors in 2011 as the Lions made the NCAA Tournament. Penn State hasn’t been back since. He also earned first-team All-Big Ten honors twice during his career.
“Getting Talor to stay on staff was a no brainer for me,” Shrewsberry said in a release. “He is one of the greatest players to ever play here and he has a deep love for Penn State. Our players will benefit from his vast experiences of being a player here and from his years playing professional basketball.”
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Battle spent seven seasons playing basketball overseas before he retired in 2018. He spent two years working in finance in Albany, N.Y., before returning to State College.
“My wife, Gretchen, and our daughters are excited for my opportunity to remain on staff at Penn State,” Battle said in a release. “Penn State has always been such a special place to us, and we believe in Coach Shrewsberry’s vision for this program. Penn State changed my life, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be here to help give back to our student-athletes and learn from Coach Shrewsberry.”
Colella is entering his ninth year with the program. Previously, he had been the director of basketball operations and the director of on-campus recruiting.
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Colella began his playing career at Penn State-Behrend in Division III before coming to the main campus, where he initially started as a practice player for the women’s basketball team before walking on to the men’s team after tryout in 2010.
As a senior in 2012-13, Colella made 14 starts and appeared in 31 games for the Lions. He spent two years as a graduate manager after his playing career ended.
“I wanted to surround myself with guys who love Penn State and there aren’t very many people who love this place more than Nick,” Shrewsberry said in a release. “He has been as instrumental in my transition to Penn State as anyone else. His knowledge of our program, school, community and conference will come in handy as we try to elevate Penn State Basketball to the next level.”
“My fiancé, Aly, and I are beyond excited to be a part of Coach Shrewsberry’s vision for Penn State Basketball,” Colella said in a release. “His family values, leadership and experience are all qualities we value most. Since the beginning of my playing career here in 2010, followed by eight years on staff for the program, Happy Valley has been my home. I look forward to continuing my time at Penn State by helping Coach Shrews bring his vision to life and developing our student-athletes on and off the court.”
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Daniel Gallen covers Penn State for PennLive. He can be reached at dgallen@pennlive.com. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Follow PennLive’s Penn State coverage on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.