As the director of athletic communications for the University of Oklahoma, Ben Coldagelli is responsible for coordinating the communications and publicity efforts for the Oklahoma men's basketball team. Now in his third season with OU, Coldagelli serves as the liaison between external media and the Sooners' basketball team - issuing news releases, coordinating interviews and press conferences, managing statistics and team history and running game-night media operations at Lloyd Noble Center. He also manages the Sooners' team website and social media feeds and works in close conjunction with OU’s video, graphics, ticketing and marketing departments.

 

This past season, Coldagelli was responsible for managing media requests and promotion of consensus All-American and national freshman of the year Trae Young – partnering with media outlets such as ESPN, Sports Illustrated, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and a cover issue of SLAM Magazine.

 

Prior to his time in Norman, Coldagelli spent four seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder in its basketball communications office. Coldagelli was the primary media contact for the Thunder's minor league affiliate while also focusing on the Thunder's game notes, game-night operations and media monitoring. As a member of the Thunder’s four-person PR staff, Coldagelli aided in the promotion and campaign of 2014 NBA MVP Kevin Durant and perennial All-Star Russell Westbrook.

 

The 27-year-old Coldagelli, from New Berlin, Wis., earned a bachelor of arts in journalism from the University of Oklahoma in 2012. As an OU student, Coldagelli participated in public relations internships with OU Athletics, Oklahoma City Thunder and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.