Educational Excellence Since 1912
Hamden Hall Country Day School
Educating students in PreSchool through Grade 12

Connecticut Cobras Basketball Welcomes Class of 2012 Alumnus

Class of 2012 alumnus and former member of the Boys’ Varsity Basketball team Darren Payen returned to the court this month with the Connecticut Cobras.
 
Launched in 2021, the Cobras are a professional basketball team within The Basketball League. Darren heard about the team from a close friend and decided to try out. His basketball career includes playing for Hamden Hall during his time under the pines, playing for the Catamounts at the University of Vermont, and spending a season overseas in Spain. He hung up his jersey in 2018 with no intention of continuing a professional international career until this opportunity arose.
 
“I still stayed on top of my fitness and played basketball as much as I could, so when I saw this article it seemed like the perfect opportunity for me and something that would be really cool for the state of Connecticut,” said Darren. “Conveniently, after I came across this link online, a scout for the Cobras saw me play at the Greater Hartford Pro-Am then reached out to me on social media afterwards, encouraging me to attend the combine. I registered for the first player combine on their website, attended the tryout in September and played well, then the rest took off from there.” 
 
Additionally, fellow Class of 2012 alumnus Victor Joshua returned to the game as one of the coaches for the Cobras. Victor was a member of the Boys’ Varsity Basketball team as guard and played collegiate basketball at Saint Anslem College in Manchester, N.H. Moving on as a player, he turned to coaching and mentoring young athletes.
 
Reflecting back on his career, Darren noted that his proudest moment thus far was winning the America East Conference Championship and punching a ticket to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) March Madness tournament while in college. His team held the longest winning streak in the 2016-2017 season and while the season ended with a loss, he said he was proud to make it to the final round. He also looks back at his time at Hamden Hall with fondness noting that the senior trip to Disney, Centennial Celebration Day, and spending time with classmates at the Beckerman Athletic Center were noteworthy memories.
 
Darren is thrilled to be back playing at a high-level after a four-year gap. He said he looks forward to continuing to build camaraderie with his teammates and building a sense of community. He noted that “building team chemistry makes the game that much more enjoyable because we can feed off of each other’s successes rather than being individualistic.”
 
Darren graduated from the University of Vermont in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology followed by a Master of Science in sports management from the University of New Haven in 2021. He currently resides in West Haven, Conn., and plans to continue playing with the Cobras.
Back

Hamden Hall Country Day School

About Us

Hamden Hall Country Day School is a nurturing and inclusive community with a dynamic learning environment that promotes academic excellence by understanding each child and fostering their individual growth.