HARTFORD — James Cosgrove was going out to Canterbury School to watch another player, and Henry Vetter kept getting his attention.
“You look at players, and you think, ‘Yeah, he’s a good player, but does he do stuff that makes your team win,” Cosgrove said. “The thing about Henry, he does those things and to him, winning comes first. Henry’s a late bloomer. He didn’t play much as a sophomore, played sparingly as a junior, then he started coming on, coming on. And the more I started going back there, I said, ‘This kid’s good, we better get on him.’”
Cosgrove, 288-138 since taking over in 2010, has an eye for guys who do the stuff that makes Trinity College win basketball games, and he keeps finding them. Vetter, the school record-holder for made 3-pointers, and Jarrel Okorougo, both first-team all-New England Small College Athletic Conference, Drew Lazarre, conference defensive player of the year, from Notre Dame-West Haven, are the captains. They’re also the top scorers and the core for the Bantams, who have been there, done that and are going places once again.
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“Our team is definitely hungry,” Vetter said. “We have guys on the team who weren’t on the team last year who have played an instrumental role in what we’ve accomplished, and I want to bring them the same joy that we felt last year in winning. We have a lot a guys who played last year who want to prove, we are the defending national champions and want to live up to that expectation. Our team is definitely not satisfied with what we’ve accomplished so far.”
Cosgrove got both players he wanted: Vetter and Trevor McDonald out of that Canterbury class. When Vetter scored 28 against powerhouse Putnam Science late in his senior year, there was some thought he should reopen his recruiting, but he never waivered from his commitment to Trinity, and never has.
“When I look back on it, I’m glad I made the decision I did,” Vetter said. “I’ve just tried to focus on the moment and maximize the time I have with my teammates and coaches. That’s something our team does a great job of, just living in the moment.”
Vetter hit the winning basket in the NCAA Division III championship game last March, as the Bantams beat NYU, 64-60, to bring the trophy home to Hartford. Trinity won its third consecutive NESCAC title, beating neighborhood rival Wesleyan last weekend, and returns to the tournament as the No. 1 seed, hosting Keuka on Friday at 7 p.m.
“This year’s team, we’re all connected, we all trust each other,” Lazarre said. “The older guys are trying to make the way for the younger guys, making sure they understand the culture, understand that it takes everybody to win a championship. It’s not only people on the court, only people on the stat sheet, it’s everybody. That’s staying the course.”
The Bantams are 25-2 this year. As freshmen, this group was 16-9, eliminated in the conference quarterfinals, and carried that sting ever since, winning 85 of the last 92, reaching the Final Four the last two seasons. Trinity, when challenged, has won most of the tough, close games, including a one-point win over Bowdoin in the conference tournament, and the two tight ones over Wesleyan and NYU in the Final Four in 2025. “Coach does a great job of setting a culture, toughness can help you win a game,” Lazarre said.
“We’re a defensive-minded team,” Okorougo said. “We like to say that defense is the part that wins you championships, so having that identity on the defensive end, and having the trust between the players and the coaches, it lets us have the ability to win those games.”
For Division III players like the ones at Trinity, Wesleyan (21-6), which got an at-large bid and is hosting Lehman Friday at 6:15 p.m. in Middletown, and Western Connecticut (21-6), winner of the Little East and starting tournament play against Catholic U in the pod at Tufts Friday at 3:30, this is as close to the old, purist college basketball experience that one can still get. We’re not talking about NIL, rev-share, one-and-dones here, and transfers are the exception, not the rule. For the seniors, any game now could be the last.
“Being a student athlete at Trinity College means you’re dedicated,” Lazarre said, “this is not an easy school to get by academically, so having success in a sport and doing well in school takes dedication. At Division I schools, they’re getting paid to do it. Us? Student athletes, we’re not doing it for money or fame, but because we love the sport and it might be one of the last times we’re ever playing the sport.”
So it’s no surprise that cohesion is a trademark for this repeat-minded Trinity team. Vetter, 6 feet 5, Lazarre, 6-2, and Okorougo, 6-5, share a townhouse on the edge of the campus, everything they need for this time of their lives within walking distance, and within reach.
“I go to class just like everybody else, my teachers see my face all the time,” Okorougo said. “I don’t have ZOOM classes. Honestly, I’ll just remember the school itself. A lot of my friends on campus stop me and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to come to the game.’ Having that connectivity with all the teams on campus and a lot of the staff that work here, at this level, it’s more of a family, instead of the money that goes into Division I. There are lifelong friends here.”
Vetter, orginally from Illinois, is considering a career in journalism or film-making. He’s interning in sports communications and, after Trinity’s practice Wednesday, scooted across campus to cover the women’s lacrosse team.
“My favorite part about the experience has been the relationships I’ve built,” Vetter said. “I’ve built so many meaningful relationships that are going to serve me well on a much deeper level, I’ve had the chance to connect with players and coaches from other sports, people outside of myself and my team, where in other programs you stay inside your team a lot and don’t really branch out. I’ve been fortunate to have those experiences; getting the experience to work with other teams and improve myself creatively.”
Lazarre, a West Haven native, hopes to work in scouting and player development for an NBA team. Okorougo, from Massachusetts, wants to explore playing overseas.
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“With all the portal stuff and kids changing schools like they change their underwear, it’s crazy,” Cosgrove said. “My motivation is our kids. We have great kids, kids who want to be here, want to win, want to do it the right way. Hopefully, I motivate them, but they certainly motivate me 10-fold. Our big thing, we say to kids when we recruit them, ‘You’re going to get the best of everything here. You’re going to have a great experience, play high-level basketball and you’re going to be able to set yourself up for great things when you’re done playing basketball.’”
And winning. Owning their piece of March Madness is good, too. … And here go the Bantams after it again. They could have as many as three home games in the NCAA Tournament. If they advance, the quarter and semifinals will be played in Fort Wayne, Ind., with the championship game in Indianapolis on April 5.
“The vibe is a lot different, granted, we’ve been there but we still feel like it’s our first time,” Okorougo said. “We’re just super excited to have an opportunity to make history for a program we all love.”