Southern Connecticut State University head men’s basketball coach Scott Burrell has announced the hiring of Michael Papale as an assistant coach for the Owls.

Papale, a native of Wallingford, Conn., spent the last three seasons as the Director of Basketball Operations working alongside Burrell at Quinnipiac University. In total, Papale was a part of the Quinnipiac program for seven years, including a four-year run from 2007-11 as a student manager.

He spent the 2011-12 campaign as an assistant coach at UMass-Lowell and helped the River Hawks reach the NCAA Tournament. He took part in all facets of the program including recruiting, scouting, player development, film exchange, weight training and academic support.

Prior to coaching at UMass Lowell, Papale coached at several levels in the AAU circuit with both the Central Connecticut Hoop Stars and the New England Playaz. He served as the head coach for Central Connecticut’s U-17 team in 2010 and helped lead it to a 35-14 record and a fifth-place showing at the AAU National Championship. While assisting with the New England Playaz AAU program, Papale helped coach players various Division I programs including Arizona, Ole Miss, Bryant, Boston University and Wright State.

Papale was a three-year varsity player and McDonald’s All-America nominee at Sheehan High and moved into a student assistant role as a senior after having his playing career cut short due to a heart condition.

He is the President and founder of A Heartbeat Foundation, a non-profit organization designed to raise money to purchase and donate AED devices and to raise money for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy research.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Quinnipiac.
http://www.southernctowls.com/news/2015/7/21/GEN_0721152855.aspx