James Sweeney was a 1980 recipient of the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award as the United States' top collegiate basketball player under 6'0" tall.
Sweeney testified as a witness in the 1978–79 Boston College basketball point shaving scandal in which members of organized crime schemed to control the outcomes of several games.
Sweeney's role in the scandal caused the NBA to reject his application to play in any of its teams as a first-time draft during the 1980–81 season.
Sweeney's creative sports writing and reflections on his Boston College basketball past were covered in Forbes magazine.
[6] In 2020, Jim chronicled the history of masters basketball and his experiences competing in over 100 tournaments with an Amazon book release of Old School Hoops: Stories of an Aging Baller.