NEC Basketball: Top 10 head coaches of the century (2000-20)

By Joey Loose | Jul 22, 2020

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 21: The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights huddle before taking on the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the first half in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament dat Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 21, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 13: Head coach Jim Ferry (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images) /

5. Jim Ferry – Long Island (2002-2012)

By the time Ferry took over the Long Island program, he was still a relatively young coach. He had spent brief head coaching stints at the D2 and D3 level, but the Blackbirds were to be his first D1 program. Long Island had just made the NCAA Tournament in 1997 but had been heading in a backward direction before Ferry’s arrival.

Over the next decade, Ferry slowly rebuilt Long Island into an NEC contender again. A second-place finish in 2009 marked a turning point, as the team would sit near the top of the standings for the rest of his tenure. In both 2011 and 2012, the Blackbirds won at least 25 games, finished 1st in the NEC, and returned to the NCAA Tournament, winning a pair of NEC Tournament titles. Their 27 wins in 2011 was the most in nearly 75 years.

Ferry departed for Duquesne in 2012, and despite things not going well for him and the Dukes, certainly left a legacy behind in Long Island. The school would return to the Tournament for a third straight season before falling on tougher times again. Now competing as the Sharks, Long Island remains a solid team near the top of the conference because of Ferry’s work during that long decade.