ALBANY, N.Y. - The University at Albany women's basketball program and head coach Kelly Morrone have announced the hiring of Claudio Buratti, Thursday.
 
A coach with seven years of international and collegiate coaching experience in both men's and women's programs, Buratti will join the Great Danes' staff as the Assistant Coach/Offensive Coordinator/International Recruiting.
 
"Claudio brings an international flair to an offensive system that is fun to play in, to watch, and makes for a great compliment to our defensive tactics," said Coach Morrone. "He is someone who finds engaging ways to teach skills and concepts, which the players appreciate. He is a motivating coach who is always encouraging."
 
Buratti comes to UAlbany after having spent the last season with Coach Morrone at Merrimack. As a coach on the Merrimack staff, he helped the team secure the program's first-ever WNIT bid. In charge of offensive strategy, he helped improve the team by 7.9 ppg; they finished fourth in the MAAC in team offense. Assigned to guard development, he coached two Warriors to postseason accolades - Paloma Garcia (Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Defense) and Lydia Melaschenko (Third Team All-Conference and ranked 23rd in the nation in three-pointers per game). 
 
Prior to Merrimack, Buratti spent a year at Tufts University with the men's basketball program. Responsible for player development, he worked with Scott Gyimesi, a Jostens Trophy finalist, D3Hoops Second Team All-Region 1, and First Team All-NESCAC honoree. In his lone season, he helped guide the Jumbos to a Division III Round of 32 appearance in the NCAA Tournament. 
 
Buratti got his start in NCAA coaching at Eastern Nazarene College (2023-24) after four years of coaching in Italy - Stella Azzurra Basketball Academy (2021-23) and Pallacanestro Smit Roma Centro (2019-21).
 
Buratti earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communication at John Cabot University in Italy. A member of the Gladiators' basketball team, he earned the Gold Cord award and a minor in Entrepreneurship. After graduating with his bachelor's degree in 2022, he completed his Master of Science in Business Management in 2024 at Eastern Nazarene.
 
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