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Former Friar Ben Bentil Earns His Bachelor's Degree
8/19/2026 2:49:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Bentil left Friartown in 2016 to pursue a career in professional basketball but never gave up on his dream of earning his diploma.
We recently spoke to former Friar standout Ben Bentil. Bentil had two impressive seasons with the Friars in 2015 and 2016. He left Friartown after his sophomore season in 2016 to pursue opportunities in professional basketball. As a result, he needed a number of classes to finish his undergraduate degree. We are excited to report that this summer, Bentil completed his final courses and earned his Bachelor's Degree in social science.
Bentil, a 6-9 forward who helped lead Providence to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, had a breakout sophomore season for the Friars in 2016. He was named an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American. He also was named BIG EAST Most Improved Player and First Team All-BIG EAST after he led the conference in scoring (21.1 ppg) and finished fourth in the league in rebounding (7.7 rpg). Bentil scored 20 or more points in 21 of the team's 35 games, including a season-high 42 points at Marquette on Feb. 11, 2016. His 42-point effort versus Marquette is the most points ever scored by a Providence sophomore in a game. His 738 points scored for the season ranks as the sixth highest single-season total ever at Providence and most ever scored by a Friar sophomore. Bentil was selected in the Second Round (51st overall) of the 2016 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics.
1. What have you been up to since you left Providence?
"I've been playing basketball, traveling the world and taking care of my family."
2. What inspired you to complete your degree?
"My mother always told me that she wanted me to get my degree. And also, my best friends have always told me to finish my studies so that I would have a degree to fall back on when my basketball career was finished."
3. What initially led you to pursue your degree in social science?
"I think it's mostly just being able to help people and also having a broad perspective of being able to get different jobs outside of basketball when my playing career is over."
4. What does having a Providence College degree mean to you?
"It means a lot to me because I can finally make my mother and my family proud. I also can relate when I'm with my best friends, who all got their degrees from PC. So, yea, it's a great accomplishment for me. And I know they are all proud of me."
5. What is the biggest lesson basketball has taught you? Has any aspect of the sport translated to being a student again?
"Basketball has taught me; you can't cheat the work. You must put the work in, in order to get the results. I applied that same philosophy with my studies. I concentrated on keeping a steady pace with the books and eventually I'd get my degree and it all worked out."
6. What has been your greatest accomplishment in the last 10 years?
"Working my hardest to be a great dad for my daughter. She is the greatest thing on earth to me."
7. Do you have any advice for student athletes today? What would you tell your freshman-year self?
"My advice would be - stay the course. Listen to the right people. Put in the work. The extra time in the gym will pay off. I would tell my freshman self, I'm proud of him for sticking to it and becoming the man, I was during my time at PC."
8. On or off the court, what is your favorite memory from Friartown?
"Running out of the locker room in the Dunk {AMP} before games was one of my favorite things when I was at PC. Also, the city itself showed me a lot of love."
9. Are you close to any of your former PC teammates?
"Yes, of course. Kris Dunn, LaDontae Henton and Junior Lomomba are the ones I'm closest to. I think everyone that knows us really knows we always were together. We talk almost every day. They all are my brothers and my best friends for life. They are my family!"
10. What do you plan to do in the future?
"I plan to keep playing ball and traveling the world with my family like I've been doing. I want to find ways to help others and also figure out life after basketball."
-end-
Bentil, a 6-9 forward who helped lead Providence to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, had a breakout sophomore season for the Friars in 2016. He was named an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American. He also was named BIG EAST Most Improved Player and First Team All-BIG EAST after he led the conference in scoring (21.1 ppg) and finished fourth in the league in rebounding (7.7 rpg). Bentil scored 20 or more points in 21 of the team's 35 games, including a season-high 42 points at Marquette on Feb. 11, 2016. His 42-point effort versus Marquette is the most points ever scored by a Providence sophomore in a game. His 738 points scored for the season ranks as the sixth highest single-season total ever at Providence and most ever scored by a Friar sophomore. Bentil was selected in the Second Round (51st overall) of the 2016 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics.
1. What have you been up to since you left Providence?
"I've been playing basketball, traveling the world and taking care of my family."
2. What inspired you to complete your degree?
"My mother always told me that she wanted me to get my degree. And also, my best friends have always told me to finish my studies so that I would have a degree to fall back on when my basketball career was finished."
3. What initially led you to pursue your degree in social science?
"I think it's mostly just being able to help people and also having a broad perspective of being able to get different jobs outside of basketball when my playing career is over."
4. What does having a Providence College degree mean to you?
"It means a lot to me because I can finally make my mother and my family proud. I also can relate when I'm with my best friends, who all got their degrees from PC. So, yea, it's a great accomplishment for me. And I know they are all proud of me."
5. What is the biggest lesson basketball has taught you? Has any aspect of the sport translated to being a student again?
"Basketball has taught me; you can't cheat the work. You must put the work in, in order to get the results. I applied that same philosophy with my studies. I concentrated on keeping a steady pace with the books and eventually I'd get my degree and it all worked out."
6. What has been your greatest accomplishment in the last 10 years?
"Working my hardest to be a great dad for my daughter. She is the greatest thing on earth to me."
7. Do you have any advice for student athletes today? What would you tell your freshman-year self?
"My advice would be - stay the course. Listen to the right people. Put in the work. The extra time in the gym will pay off. I would tell my freshman self, I'm proud of him for sticking to it and becoming the man, I was during my time at PC."
8. On or off the court, what is your favorite memory from Friartown?
"Running out of the locker room in the Dunk {AMP} before games was one of my favorite things when I was at PC. Also, the city itself showed me a lot of love."
9. Are you close to any of your former PC teammates?
"Yes, of course. Kris Dunn, LaDontae Henton and Junior Lomomba are the ones I'm closest to. I think everyone that knows us really knows we always were together. We talk almost every day. They all are my brothers and my best friends for life. They are my family!"
10. What do you plan to do in the future?
"I plan to keep playing ball and traveling the world with my family like I've been doing. I want to find ways to help others and also figure out life after basketball."
-end-
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