Director of Athletic Communications Links Athletics With Journalism at Centenary

Chris LaBelle, Centenary director of athletic communications and head men’s basketball coach, spoke with students in Newspaper Production Studio about sports journalism on Thursday, Oct. 23 in the Lackland Center. 

LaBelle explained his background at Centenary, as he is an alumni and former member of the basketball team. He began his undergraduate studies in 2017 for a bachelor’s in business management. He continued his studies, graduating in 2023 with a master’s in leadership in public administration. 

LaBelle came back to CU after graduating and became a graduate assistant in the sports information office. Centenary’s former Director of Athletic Communications stepped down about a year ago, and LaBelle took over the position. 

“I helped with game day operations and worked on the back end of the website. There wasn’t too much writing or anything that really got published on there until about a year and a half ago,” said LaBelle. “Our sports information director stepped down, and I took over that role as an interim role and have been doing it for about a year now.”

LaBelle is also Centenary’s head men’s basketball coach and has been for three years. He was formerly on the team himself, and enjoys seeing the sport from both a student and coach perspective, all while working behind the scenes in communications.

LaBelle gave students a virtual tour of Centenary Athletics website and explained how it operates. The website holds team rosters, game and player statistics, game schedules, and stories about games and players. He then went into depth about sports journalism and how they cover their post-game stories. 

“How we start most of our stories is writing an attention grabber: who the team played, how the game ended, and what day of the week and time it was. Then we go diving into what happened in the game,” said LaBelle. 

While giving his virtual tour, LaBelle mentioned the upcoming Hall of Fame event taking place on Saturday, Jan. 31. The individual inductees are Meagan Madsen (softball 2011-2014), Chris Burdge (wrestling 2010-2014),  Jessica Sikora (soccer 2004-2007), and Nigel Archibald (baseball 2002-2005); the team inductee is the 2005 baseball team; and the lifetime achievement award will go to Fred Magnione (class of 1993). Tickets can be purchased through the Centenary Athletics website. 

LaBelle focused on looking at each game with positivity. Whether Centenary wins or loses, each story should focus on the positive aspects of the game, such as player highlights and what went well. 

“Sometimes we lose 6-0, and it’s very hard to be positive all the time. Obviously, there's other times where we do really well, and then you have a ton of stuff to write about. So I try to find that balance between, speaking on what happened in the game while also keeping that positive outlook for our department,” said LaBelle. 

“We want to have a lot of positivity out there about our student athletes,” said LaBelle. “I think a lot of people forget that only 4% of high school kids get to play college sports, whatever sport that might be. So, showcasing them is something we made a focus of about a year ago.” 

LaBelle spoke more about how he goes about writing the post-game stories, as he has created a routine for himself to maintain his passion for sports journalism. 

“If you don't have a routine, then it comes off with how you feel that day, whether you're gonna do it or not. So I think of it like a routine. As soon as I close my laptop at the field, I go to my office and then that way I get it done,” said LaBelle. “Then that way it doesn't feel so much of a hassle. It doesn't feel so much as an obligation or a chore to write the articles when they're done with the game.”

LaBelle focused on spreading positivity for not only Centenary sports teams and players, but the athletic department as a whole. The athletic department  is open to writing internships, where students would go to games and report on them. 

As the fall season is coming to an end and the winter season begins, here are some important dates for CU sports. 

Volleyball: 

• 11/11- Atlantic East Playoffs (TBD)

Men’s Basketball:

• 11/14 - Home Opener vs Scranton at 7 p.m.

• 11/22 - Alumni Game vs Medgar Evers at 2 p.m.

• 2/21 - Senior Day vs Neumann at 3 p.m.

Women’s Basketball:

• 11/11 - Home Opener vs Wilkes at 6 p.m.

• 11/15 Alumni Game vs Cheyney at 6 p.m.

• 2/21 Senior Day vs Neumann at 1 p.m.

Wrestling:

• 12/7 - Bob Quade Cyclone Open All Day

Chris LaBelle can be reached at: christopher.labelle@centenaryuniversity.edu.