NATIONAL CHAMPIONS: Men’s Basketball Beats NYU 64-60 and Brings NCAA Championship Title to Hartford

Annika Dyczkowski ’25

Executive Sports Editor

Trinity men’s basketball brought home the hardware. On Saturday, March 22, the Bantams made history and won the program’s first National Championship after a hard fought victory over New York University (NYU), 64-60. The team traveled to Fort Wayne, Indiana to compete in the Final Four for the second time in program history, consecutively after their trip last season. 

In addition to Trinity and the NYU Violets, the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum hosted the Washington University Bears (St. Louis, Missouri) and Trinity’s esteemed rival, the Wesleyan University Cardinals (Middletown, Connecticut). On Thursday, March 20, the Bantams were set to face the Cardinals for the third time this season. Prior to this matchup, Wesleyan defeated Trinity 72-63 in the regular season, but returned stronger in the NESCAC Championship matchup to come out on top, winning 75-67. The battle of the birds in Fort Wayne featured impressive performances by Trinity’s key players, including a 15-point game by Henry Vetter ’26, who was named Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament following Saturday’s game. Jarrel Okorougo ’26 put up 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Drew Lazarre ’26 also earned a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. 

Following Trinity’s semifinal victory, the team had already made history by competing in the National Championship Final for the first time in program history – the first time in 112 years. 

Trinity averages just under 77 points per game, while NYU outshined Trinity in this category with 81. The first half of play was unimpressive for both teams, relative to their respective performances over the course of this season. Trinity’s field goal percentage stood about 12% lower than their season average at 32.4% compared to 44.1%, likely because the Bantams only sank two out of 13 three-point attempts in the first 20 minutes of play. The Violets’ field goal percentage was also tanked from an impressive season statistic of 49% to about 39% and their three-point percentage was down by 8%, making double the Bantams attempts with four out of 13. Vetter, Trinity’s star player and leading scorer, finished the first half with zero points. “[Using] averages, I like to think if I miss however many, then the next however many are good,” Vetter expressed at the championship postgame press conference. 

This mantra proved itself in Vetter’s second half performance. With 1:28 left on the clock, the Violets led 60-56 following a three-point layup and free throw contribution by NYU’s Hampton Sanders. At 1:14, the Bantams flew down the court on offense for a quick pass from Will Dorion ’24 M.A. ’25 to Vetter, who sunk a three-point shot in the corner and lifted the Bantam’s deficit to one. With less than 45 seconds left, NYU failed on an attempt in the paint and Trinity’s Okorougo recovered the ball and sent it down the court to Vetter, who immediately called for a timeout upon possession. 

What sets Trinity basketball apart from their opponents and likely contributed to their success this season is their dedication to success and to one another. “Last year we were shell-shocked when we got here, but once we got home we ramped up and knew that no one worked harder than us and no one prepared the way we prepared,” stated Alex Douglas ’25.

Most strikingly, Saturday’s audience may have noticed the difference between each team’s behavior during the timeout: NYU’s bench was scattered, with some players having side conversations while coaches drew plays for individual players. Panning over to Trinity, the Bantams were huddled around Head Coach James Cosgrove in a near perfect circle, shoulder-to-shoulder with arms around one another, watching intently as he drew up the play that won the game. “Last year the lights were too bright, this year we took it as a business trip. We prioritize energy and that pushes us to strive and work as a unit. We knew if we locked down, we’d come out on top,” stated Sean Macarchuk ’25. 

The score was 60-59 and Trinity started on offense with 23.1 seconds left. After a missed free throw with 16 seconds left, Trevor McDonald ’26 blocked an NYU possession and rebounded to teammate Drew Lazarre ’26, who curled around the paint and passed to Vetter. Time stopped as Vetter, nearly two to three feet outside of the three-point line, lined up to take the shot. From “way downtown,” as coined by ESPN announcer Brendan Gulick, Vetter sank the three. Trinity’s bench and fan section nearly blew the roof off in Fort Wayne as the Bantams were up by two with 12 seconds left. 

“The guys trusted me and that’s been our team all year. Everyone trusts each other to make plays down the stretch and tonight it happened to be me,” Vetter stated. He continues, conversely, “I think it’s unfortunate how people want to talk about that shot and not all the stuff before that really mattered, [everything] that happened in the 39 minutes before really gave us that opportunity.”

With only 60 points, the Bantams held the Violets to their lowest scoring game of the season. “For us to lock them up like that is a great tribute to [our players],” Cosgrove stated. “The effort and attention to detail they put into everything we do is why we won.”

“We made goals as a team in the preseason and put them up on our [locker room] door. The first goal is ‘one common goal (national championship),’” stated Vetter. Cosgrove added onto this sentiment and stated, “They came to me in the fall and said they wanted to make a goal of being national champions, I said ‘let’s not get too ahead of ourselves,’ but I’m glad I was wrong and they were right.” He continues, “To win a national championship for the first time is really special. I am just really happy for these guys to be cemented in history, but more importantly they’re cemented together for the rest of their lives.”