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BELLEFONTE – On Wednesday evening, Bellefonte officially named Richard Ciambotti as its new boys basketball coach. Ciambotti has a decorated history coaching in Centre County, having done so for over two decades across the middle school and varsity levels.
Ciambotti inherits a program that's struggled in recent years despite a strong start to the 2020s.
Under previous head coach Rick Hall, the Red Raiders went 32-16 through the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons before going three years without a winning season. They most recently went 2-20 in 2025-26.
Prior to taking the Bellefonte job, Ciambotti spent ten years (2012-21) coaching the St. Joseph's Catholic basketball program. There, he led the Wolfpack to over 100 wins, three conference titles and multiple state playoff appearances, including back-to-back appearances in 2018 and 2019.
Following his ten years at St. Joseph's Catholic, Ciambotti spent four years coaching at his alma mater in State College as an assistant for the boys basketball team. There, he helped the Little Lions win four consecutive District 6 Class 6A championships and multiple state playoff games.
Apart from coaching at the varsity level, Ciambotti also works as the Director of Basketball at Nittany Valley Sports Centre and is the founder of Centre Basketball Academy, which takes on over 400 participants per year. He graduated high school at State College in 2023, earned a history degree at Penn State in 2007 and earned a degree in education from Lock Haven in 2012.