When he thinks about having to choose between baseball and basketball as a high school sophomore, Josh Correia said he’s lucky he never mastered how to hit.

Once he evaluated how far he could get without developing a strong swing, the Bedford native shifted his energy from the diamond to the court.

It was clearly the correct decision.

The extra time working on his outside shooting, plus plenty of days spent lifting, helped Correia earn a spot on the Bentley College men’s basketball team.

“I knew I couldn’t really get anywhere because I couldn’t hit,” said Correia with a laugh. “I went with the flow until about eighth grade, and then I shot up like six or eight inches that summer and really thought I could play college ball. I definitely had no problem quitting baseball for AAU basketball, and I’ve never looked back.”

This year, Correia helped the Falcons set a New England record for most consecutive victories with 32. Bentley saw its finest season in program history end in a 64-51 Elite Eight showdown with defending NCAA Division II champion Winona State on March 21.

The Falcons finished their season with a 32-1 mark, recording their first-ever perfect regular season.

Correia, a four-year player, earned time as a freshman but had his best season as a senior. Starting the final 10 games, the wingman averaged 4.0 points per game and tallied 127 points on the year. Facing the top-ranked Warriors of Winona State, Correia couldn’t manage to score against the only other unbeaten team at the time.

“Josh really matured into a steady player as each season went on,” said Falcons coach Jay Lawson.

“He began with sporadic minutes in his first two years but his junior and senior year he really made himself known as someone I could depend on consistently, either as a starter or off the bench.”

When in elementary school, Correia, now a management major, was introduced to basketball by older brother Jason, who played for Ithaca College and Colby- Sawyer College. Following in both his older brothers’ footsteps, the youngest of five attended Trinity High to play for the Pioneers.

His decision to apply to Bentley was finalized after Correia’s brother-in-law graduated from the school. Correia spent a year in a post-grad program to boost his grades and skills before Bentley.

“It was like a boarding school where they told you what to do all the time,” said Correia. “It was tough ... but it helped me a lot (that) my whole starting five all went to Division-I schools, so that really gave me some good competition.”

While Correia was busy helping the Falcons, his alma mater Trinity put together one of its best seasons in Class L. Despite not being able to travel to see the Pioneers’ playoff run, Correia said he made sure his family kept him updated on the team’s progress.

“I’ll retire my game jersey, but I’ll keep playing in summer leagues,” he said. “I want to keep up with how Trinity does, too.

I didn’t get a chance to go to any games this year, but I wish I had because it’s so nice to see your old team do that well.”