Bentley University

Of the many basketball players who have worn the Bentley uniform during the program’s first half-century, none shot free throws more accurately than Jack Sparks. His career free throw percentage of .878 was a school record until 2023, and was the 11th best in NCAA Division II history at the time of his 1999 induction. But anyone who saw Jack play knew that there was more to his game than just shooting from the charity stripe.
 
"Jack always played with a high level of confidence," said Bentley Hall of Farner Brian Hammel, the team's coach during Jack's final two seasons. "He always had calmness and poise and brought stability to the team. He made others around him better." But of course, Bentley fans will always remember Jack for his shooting ability. "He was an outstanding shooter," said Hammel. "Any time he shot, I had a pretty good feeling that it was going in."
 
Jack ranks 40th on Bentley's all-time scoring list with 1,187 points after finishing his career number 11 on the list. He also distributed 411 assists, and his career field goal percentage (.518) was the second best in Bentley history amongst guards who played at least three seasons (Hammel, ironically, is the leader).
 
A native of Audubon, N.J., Jack played a key role from the start. His rookie season with the Falcons in 1976-77 saw him finish third on the team in scoring (12.8 ppg) and shoot an impressive 52 percent from the field. In his sophomore campaign, Jack again finished third on the team in scoring with a career-best 14.0 ppg. He set a school record with a .908 free throw percentage, as he missed just seven of 76 attempts all season.
 
Perhaps Bentley's best season of Jack's career came in his junior campaign of 1978-79 when the Falcons were 22-6 and spent seven weeks ranked in the top nationally. Included was one week in early February when the team was ranked atop the poll to number one. The Falcons went to earn a NCAA Division II New England Regional Tournament berth and was selected to host the Regional. Jack was fourth on the team in scoring with 11.6 points per game and captured the NCAA Division II free throw percentage championship, hitting at a 90.5 percent success rate.
 
As a senior, Jack was a co-captain and a Division II All-New England Honorable Mention selection. He finished sixth in Division II in free throw percentage and at one point converted on 26 free throws in a row (a then-school record).