Bentley men’s basketball coach Jay Lawson announces retirement

Sport admin May 18, 2026 0 Comments

Bentley men’s basketball coach Jay Lawson announces retirement

Jay Lawson, who led the Bentley men’s basketball team to a program-record 664 wins, is retiring after 34 seasons as coach.

“Few people in the world get to do what they truly love,” said Lawson in a statement released by the school. “And in this profession, very few coaches get to stay at one place for a long period of time. I have had the privilege of experiencing both at Bentley, where it’s been an honor to work with, coach, and build relationships with so many special people.

“I look forward to thanking all of them in the weeks ahead. ,But want to first express my sincere gratitude for [former athletic director] Bob DeFelice and [former coach] Frank Sullivan for believing in me when I was hired as the head coach in 1991.”

Lawson led the Falcons to nine Northeast-10 regular-season championships, four conference tournament titles, and made 13 appearances in the NCAA Division 2 tournament, going 23-13. The team reached the Sweet 16 eight times, made four trips to the Elite Eight, and advanced to the Final Four twice.

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The 2006-07 and 2007-08 teams went a combined 66-2, reached the program’s first two Elite Eights, and broke a 63-year-old Division 2 national record with 55 consecutive regular-season victories.

Lawson had 12 seasons with 20 or more wins, including three with 30 or more, and posted a winning record in all but two of his 34 seasons. During his time in Waltham, Bentley was ranked No. 1 nationally 14 times and spent a total of 26 weeks in the top five.

He was named Northeast-10 men’s basketball Coach of the Year six times, and NABC Division 2 Regional Coach of the Year five times.

“Coach Lawson is synonymous with Bentley basketball,” said athletic director Vaughn Williams. “For more than three decades he has been the steady, principled leader of a program that reflects everything we value — excellence, integrity, and a true commitment to student-athletes. So, on behalf of Bentley University and our entire athletics community, I want to thank Coach Lawson for his extraordinary service. We wish him nothing but the best in his retirement.”