Jim Ferry Hired As UMBC Basketball’s Head Coach
Jim Ferry is headed to Baltimore.
Penn State men’s basketball’s former interim head coach was officially hired as University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s head coach Monday afternoon.
Ferry spent this past season leading the Nittany Lions after Pat Chambers was asked to resign following an investigation into an alleged inappropriate conduct. Before that, the Long Island native was an assistant coach for three seasons and was the team’s offensive coordinator. He helped coach a team that brought home an NIT Championship in 2018 and was even poised for a run to the Big Dance before COVID-19 hit in 2020.
During his one season as Penn State’s head coach, Ferry managed the Nittany Lions to an 11-14 overall record and a first-round victory in the Big Ten Tournament. While Ferry found some success during a tumultuous season, Micah Shrewsberry was tapped in as the Nittany Lions’ next head coach just days after the 2020-21 campaign wrapped up.
Ferry boasts an extensive amount of head coaching experience outside of his short time in Happy Valley. He started his career at the head man at Plymouth State in 1998, spent three seasons at Adelphi, and led LIU-Brooklyn to consecutive trips to the Big Dance over the course of a ten-year stint.
His last stop before Happy Valley was the head coaching job at Duquesne.
Ferry now joins a UMBC group that became famous in 2018 for being the first No. 16 seed to take down a No. 1 seed in NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Retrievers took down a talented UVA squad 74-54.
Most recently, UMBC finished its 2020-21 campaign with a 14-6 overall record. Its former head coach, Ryan Odom, moved on to Utah State after a successful five-year stint in Baltimore.
Along with that historic trip to the Big Dance in 2018, UMBC’s only other appearance in the NCAA’s Division I Tournament came in 2008.
Your ad blocker is on.
Please choose an option below.
Purchase a Subscription!
About the Author
Staff Predictions: No. 4 Penn State vs. Purdue
Our staffers think this game will be a blowout in favor of the Nittany Lions, except for one for some reason.
Meterologist To Entrepreneur: How Todd Miner Brought ‘Transport-tainment’ To State College
Vamos! Lion Chariots was founded in 2012.
Five Penn State Wrestlers To Participate In NWCA All-Star Classic
The Classic will take place at 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 16, at Rec Hall.
Go Have Fun With Your Friends: Will Pegler’s Senior Column
“Truly any memory I have here has to do with my friends, and that’s what I’ll miss so terribly about this place.”