Hall of Fame
During the Bentley basketball seasons of 1987-88 and 1988-89, if you wanted to score there was one person you looked for, Jim Ferrer. Teammates of Ferrer knew one thing, if they hustled down the court, filled the lanes and waited at the block, Ferrer would deliver them the pass. In his senior season, Ferrer did so 309 times, a Bentley College single-season record and good for third in Division II in 1988-89.
“He is the most dominating player, passer, ballhandler I have seen at this level. Over 150 assists in one season is great, but he had over 300,” said longtime Bentley head coach Jay Lawson of his magical point guard prior to his 2002 induction. “He was a man amongst boys out there. Because of his experience in the Puerto Rican Superior League, he had a more mature perspective on the game of basketball and he was very demanding of his teammates.”
Jim, who hailed from Rio Piedras, P.R. remains the Bentley record-holder for career assists average (9.2), three-point percentage in career (.452), season assist average (10.0) and assists in a season (309). His school records for points (669) and field goals (253) have since been program.
Jim, one of only six players in Bentley history with both 1,000 career points and 500 assists, achieved that feat in only two seasons after transferring from Seton Hall of the Division I Big East Conference. His impact was felt right away as he teamed up with fellow Hall of Fame inductee Billy Holden to form one of the most prolific back courts Bentley has ever seen.
In his time in a Falcon uniform, Ferrer quarterbacked the Falcons to a phenomenal 43-15 record and a stretch of 55 straight games without losing two games in a row. He led the Falcons to the 1989 NE-10 regular season championship and an appearance in the NCAA regionals that year.
In his first season, he was second on the team in scoring, offering over 15 points per game. His 215 assists led the Falcons, and he played and started in all but two games.
Jim broke the mold of traditional point guards when point guards were mainly scorers or mainly passers. As a senior, his gaudy assist numbers were complimented with his 21.6 scoring average, and he became the first NE-10 player to lead the conference in scoring and assists. His brilliant passing abilities allowed for all but one of his teammates that shot more than 200 attempts from the field to shoot better than 50% on the season from the floor. The only one who didn’t was Holden and he just averaged 20 points per game.
Jim’s resume includes Basketball Times Division II All-America, NABC Division II second-team All-America, Northeast-10 Player of the Year, first-team All-New England, first-team All-Northeast-10 and first-team All-ECAC Division II.
