MANCHESTER, N.H. – Saint Anselm College men's basketball alumnus
James Cosgrove '87, the Marlynn V. and William P. Scully Head Men's Basketball Coach at Trinity College, led his program to its first-ever NCAA Division III National Championship a few weeks ago. Cosgrove, who was also named the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division III Coach of the Year, and the No. 4 seed Bantams defeated the No. 1 seed Violets of New York University (NYU), 64-60, in the title game on March 22nd in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Cosgrove became the first head coach in the history of Trinity's men's basketball to earn NABC Division III Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Bantams to the program's first NCAA Division III National Championship. This year, he led his team to a 30-3 overall record, which matched the program's most wins in a single season (also achieved in 2023-24).
In addition, Trinity went 8-2 in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) play and won their second straight NESCAC Championship to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship field.
The Bantams hosted the opening four rounds of this year's tournament, defeating Neumann, Keene State, Western New England, and Catholic to punch their second consecutive trip to the Final Four. Trinity battled past NESCAC-rival Wesleyan, 73-69, to earn its first-ever spot in the National Championship game.
This season, the Bantams were one of the top defensive teams in the country, limiting opponents to 57.3 points per game and a 35.6% mark from the field, both the lowest figures in the nation. In the Championship game, Trinity held top-ranked NYU to 60 points, their lowest total on the season.
The Trinity men's basketball team was recognized for their National Championship victory at Fenway Park prior to the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays game on April 9th. Coach Cosgrove had the honor of
throwing out the first pitch.
Trey Witter, currently an assistant on the Saint Anselm men's basketball coaching staff, spent three seasons as an assistant under Cosgrove at Trinity from 2021-24. During the 2023-24 season, Witter, Cosgrove, and the rest of Trinity's coaching staff was named the NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year after a 20-0 start to the season, the best in program history. The Bantams reached as high as No. 3 in the Division III national rankings.
Cosgrove, a 2023-24 NABC Region 1 Coach of the Year honoree, now holds a career head coaching record of 486-264 (.648), which includes a 247-127 (.660) mark at Trinity. He just completed his 15th season at the helm of the Bantams' program in 2024-25. During his tenure at Trinity, Cosgrove has coached 10 NESCAC All-Conference selections, four NESCAC Defensive Players of the Year, and three NABC All-Americans in addition to the 2015-16 NESCAC Player of the Year and the 2022-23 NESCAC Rookie of the Year.
He has now led his program to back-to-back 30 win seasons, back-to-back NESCAC Championships, and back-to-back trips to the NCAA Division III Final Four. Prior to last season, the Bantams had not won a NESCAC postseason title since 2008, the program's only other championship. In 2023-24, the Bantams returned to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship for the first time since 2015-16 and advanced to their second-ever Final Four. The Bantams earned a No. 2 ranking in the D3hoops.com Division III Men's Basketball Top 25 poll, the highest ranking in program history.
Prior to his time at Trinity, Cosgrove served as head coach at Division II Adelphi (2002-2010) and Division III Endicott (1997-2002). At Adelphi, Cosgrove posted a 166-77 overall record and reached the postseason in each of his eight seasons. The Panthers won 20 or more games six times, won three conference titles, and earned four NCAA Tournament bids in a five-year span.
At Endicott, Cosgrove accumulated a 73-60 overall record. The Gulls went 18-10 in 1999-00 and won the program's first-ever Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship, which resulted in its first-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament as well. His 1998-99 Endicott team won the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) regular season crown, and Cosgrove earned GNAC Coach of the Year honors.
Before becoming a head coach, Cosgrove served as an assistant coach at Saint Anselm, his alma mater, from 1993-97. During his time on Keith Dickson's staff, he helped the Hawks to an 89-29 record. The team won a pair of Northeast-10 Conference (NE10) Championships and earned three straight NCAA Tournament berths. He also had previous stops as a coach at St. Thomas More (1992-93), Hartford (1988-92), and Saint Anselm (1987-88).
As a student-athlete at Saint Anselm, Cosgrove was a four-year member of the Hawks men's basketball team and served as team captain during his last two seasons. He assumed the point guard position as a freshman and went on to start 113 games across four seasons. Cosgrove finished his playing career with 1,088 career points and 585 assists, the latter being the most all-time upon graduating and now the sixth-most in program history. Additionally, his 267 career steals is still the program's all-time record.
Cosgrove concluded his career with First Team All-NE10 honors as a senior and secured Second Team merits as a junior. He was the first-ever NE10 Rookie of the Year selection from Saint Anselm in 1983-84. He helped the Hawks go from a 6-19 record during his first season to a 25-5 record as a senior. During his final year, Cosgrove led Saint Anselm to its first NE10 title, its second straight NCAA tournament, and a No. 6 ranking in the final NCAA Division II national poll.
Cosgrove graduated from Saint Anselm in 1987 with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. He also earned a master's degree in teaching from Sacred Heart in 1995. He was inducted into the Saint Anselm College Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993. In 2007, Cosgrove was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame for his accomplishments as a player at both St. Thomas More and Saint Anselm. An associate professor in the Trinity athletic department, Cosgrove resides in West Hartford, Connecticut with his wife, Christine. He is the proud father of son, Casey, and daughters, Maggie and Callie.
STAY CONNECTED:
