Bentley University

How good were the Bentley basketball teams of the early '70s? Jim Fuerst became the sixth player from that era to be inducted into the Bentley Hall of Fame, joining the Hammel brothers, Al Grenfell, Tom Cockill, Scott Conrad and Ray Andersen when he was honored in 1975.
 
Fuerst, who came to Bentley from Schenectady, N.Y., was the unsung hero of those teams. While others generally received most of the publicity and notoriety, Fuerst could be counted a steady contribution, day-in and day-out. Starting 73 of 79 career games, he had a career scoring average of 13.3.
 
"Jimmy was an outstanding shooter," said his former coach, Al Shields, in advance of the induction ceremony. "He took a backseat publicity-wise, but not in value to the team. His presence meant the opponents couldn't double-team, since they couldn't afford to leave him alone."
 
As a senior, Fuerst buried an incredible 59 percent on his shots, while averaging 14.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3 .9 assists for a 24-3 team.
 
That followed a 1971-72 season that saw Bentley win a then-New England Division II record 26 straight games during a 26-2 season. Fuerst, as a junior, was the MVP of the Codfish Bowl. In that tournament, he scored a career-best 36 points, with his 17 field goals (in 24 attempts) a school record at the time.
 
"He was also very valuable as the second outlet on our sideline fastbreak," remembered Shields. Those Bentley teams loved to run, with both the 1972 and 1973 teams averaging over 90 points a game.
 
Jim was also an outstanding student. Co-captain (with Bert Hammel) as a senior, Jim became the first Academic All-America® in the college's history that same year, with selection to the college division third team. Following the season, he was presented with the prestigious Edward J. Powers Scholar Athlete Award as the college's top senior student-athlete.
 
The 1973 graduate spent most of his professional career working in Bentley’s financial office