James Cosgrove enters his 17th season as the Marlynn V. and William P. Scully Head Men's Basketball Coach at Trinity College in 2026-27. Cosgrove owns a career record of 512-267, including a 273-130 mark at Trinity. He earned his 500th career victory on January 10, 2026, with a 73-57 win over Williams College.
In 2025-26, Cosgrove guided the Bantams to a 26-3 record, their third consecutive New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championship, and a third straight appearance in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship semifinals. Trinity finished 10-0 in conference play during the regular season and captured the NESCAC tournament title with victories over Bowdoin (64-63), Tufts (80-70), and Wesleyan (80-55). The Bantams advanced through four rounds of the NCAA tournament, defeating Keuka (74-63), Babson (71-61), Hood (88-71), and Tufts (69-66) before falling to Mary Washington, 64-61, in the national semifinals.
Three Bantams earned All-NESCAC recognition in 2025-26. Seniors Henry Vetter and Jarrel Okorougo were named to the First Team, while Drew Lazarre earned Second Team honors and was selected as the conference's Defensive Player of the Year. Vetter received NABC Division III All-American Second Team, NABC All-District First Team, and D3hoops.com All-Region First Team honors. He also earned D3hoops.com Third Team All-American recognition and was named a College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American. Okorougo earned NABC All-District and D3hoops.com All-Region recognition, while Lazarre became the sixth Bantam to earn NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. Cosgrove previously received NABC Division III Coach of the Year recognition in 2025 after leading Trinity to its first NCAA Division III national championship.
During his tenure at Trinity, Cosgrove has coached numerous NESCAC All-Conference selections, six NESCAC Defensive Players of the Year, multiple NABC and D3hoops.com All-Americans, the 2015-16 NESCAC Player of the Year, and the 2022-23 NESCAC Rookie of the Year. The Bantams have also earned numerous NESCAC Academic All-Conference selections and multiple NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards. Cosgrove's teams are known for their defensive excellence, consistently ranking among the nation's leaders in scoring defense, opponent field goal percentage, and rebounding margin.
Cosgrove led Trinity to its first NESCAC Championship in 2008 and guided the Bantams to the NCAA Division III Elite Eight in 2014-15. In 2023-24, Trinity posted a program-record-tying 30-2 mark, won its second NESCAC title, and advanced to the NCAA Division III Final Four for the second time in program history. The Bantams followed with a 30-3 campaign in 2024-25, capturing the program's first NCAA Division III national championship with a 64-60 victory over New York University. Cosgrove earned NABC Division III Coach of the Year honors after the historic season, adding to his previous recognition as NABC District 1 Coach of the Year, D3hoops.com Region 1 Coach of the Year, NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year, and 2014-15 NESCAC Coach of the Year.
Prior to Trinity, Cosgrove served as head coach at Division II Adelphi University from 2002-10 and Endicott College from 1997-2002. At Adelphi, he compiled a 166-77 record, reached the postseason in each of his eight seasons, won three league titles, and earned four NCAA tournament bids in a five-year span. He was named East Coast Conference Coach of the Year in 2004-05 and Metropolitan Writers Association Division II Coach of the Year in 2004-05 and 2005-06. At Endicott, Cosgrove posted a 73-60 record and led the program to its first Commonwealth Coast Conference championship and NCAA tournament appearance in 1999-2000. He began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater, Saint Anselm College, from 1993-97, helping the Hawks compile an 89-29 record, make three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, and win two conference championships.
Cosgrove graduated from Saint Anselm with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and earned a master's degree in teaching from Sacred Heart University. A two-time All-Northeast-10 selection and the conference's Rookie of the Year, he captained the Hawks to a 25-5 record and a No. 6 national ranking in the Division II final poll. He held Saint Anselm's career records in assists and steals and was inducted into the college's Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2007, Cosgrove was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame for his accomplishments as a player at St. Thomas Prep School and Saint Anselm. An associate professor in Trinity's athletic department, Cosgrove resides in West Hartford with his wife, Christine, and their children, Casey, Maggie, and Callie.
