Do you remember the 1993 movie 'Jurassic Park' when the T-Rex is first introduced? The water, that sits in two plastic cups on the dashboard, starts jumping as the ground shakes from the thuds coming closer to the SUV, and then the T-Rex shows up on the scene, eats an entire goat, lets out two monstrous roars, and then proceeds to eat a lawyer. While lawyers are probably not his taste, Coach David Cochrane DOES have a hunger for basketball and this is the kind of entrance I imagine he made in the basketball world when he opened the David Cochrane Basketball Academy in mid-August. The elite practice facility is located at 2517 Squadron Ct, Virginia Beach, VA 23453, and offers a variety of services for middle, high, and college players. The academy offers guest speakers, individual work, small groups, various camps, shooting clinics, showcases for recruiting purposes, and team sessions with David himself or with other trainers. The facility is also available to rent for half-court or full facility use for your team.
David Cochrane played high school basketball at Salem High in Virginia Beach, VA from 2003-2007 under the guidance of Bill Cochrane, his father and Beach District coaching legend. While at Salem, David excelled as a shooter, earning him second-team All-Beach Conference and ending his career holding the school record for three-pointers. Going into his senior year with a major chip on his shoulder, David told me that he “wanted to prove to the region and colleges I was an elite shooter and all-district talent.” I'd say drilling 76 threes and averaging 17ppg would qualify as proving ground. After high school, David went on to play for Castleton State College. After Castleton State, he coached at a local high school in Vermont and at Lesley University of Boston, where Coach Cochrane says they ended up having the best year in program history after only three seasons of his staff at the helm.
Before coaching on the collegiate level, the younger Cochrane took a coaching position at Ocean Lakes High school in Virginia Beach for the '13-'14 season and strengthened his coaching resume. I asked Coach Cochrane what inspired and motivated him to open up his basketball facility and he said, “My motivation comes from my love for this game. It’s a beautiful chess match and I like to be in control and teach this game to the most advanced tactical detail to every player out there.” The David Cochrane Basketball Academy facility has brand new hardwood courts, great lighting, multiple hoops with glass backboards, and a small weight room featuring a vertimax. After the countless hours spent establishing and running this incredible basketball factory, Coach Cochrane is still interested in coaching high school or college basketball in the area if the right job opens up, but he is going to continue building up the David Cochrane Basketball Academy brand in the meantime.
The David Cochrane Basketball Academy separates itself from other basketball entities in the game using the culture they've built. Coach Cochrane and his trainers incorporate their knowledge in skill level, mindset, work ethic, IQ, and intangibles into every single training session. The DCA motto is "creating college basketball players that get to campus first day and already know how to think, play, work, and act like college basketball student-athletes. I want the college freshman to have that senior mindset and intangibles." If you want to craft your game, change your mindset, and take your future to another level, I highly recommend getting in touch with Coach Cochrane.
The trainers involved in the academy include Antoine Perry and Chris Harper. Antoine Perry, a native of Norfolk and a graduate of Booker T. Washington, played for four seasons on the Spartan basketball team from 2006-10. He was an assistant coach at Nansemond River High in Suffolk for three seasons, worked at Virginia Tech for two seasons before returning to Norfolk State University to become the Director of Men's Basketball Operations and oversee the strength and conditioning program for both the NSU men’s and women’s basketball teams. Coach Perry brings his Guard University brand, and years of experience to the academy. Chris Harper, previously an assistant coach for the Christopher Newport University women's team, also brings a strength and conditioning aspect to the academy from L.E.A.D. Sports Performance. These trainers and Coach Cochrane work very hard to create a working environment and a culture that breeds success.
The facility is home to the VA Beach Heat (@vbheat_), whom David coaches while involved in the other activities at the academy. The love of the game of basketball flows strongly through Coach Cochrane and he says that the current state of youth basketball is fantastic and stronger than ever. “We’ve never had the amount of advanced training, year-round camps, and year-round tournaments that we have now”, David expressed. Long term thinking, he sees potential issues regarding injuries to major players and tolls on their bodies, but as far as the quality of basketball being put out there right now, it’s unmatched today. AAU has come a long way since I was younger and the top 15 or so players from your city made up the team. His youth program competes in the AAU circuit and features athletes from the class of 2025 and 2026. I know these young players are getting the proper foundation in basketball skills and discipline that will lead them to future success in basketball careers and their lives.
Just this past week the facility had over 600 players, including 9 AAU teams, and about 16 players who will most likely be playing college basketball, come through the doors to get work with four different trainers. You can check out what’s going on at Coach Cochrane's facility if you visit their Instagram page, @dcbasketball757. His main focus of the business and his academy is to continue to expand and get 757 players into colleges playing basketball and getting a higher education. If you have a child or you are a middle/high school player interested in taking the game of basketball seriously, but also have fun and get better, I would highly recommend getting in touch with Coach Cochrane. If you're interested in information about this new wonderful facility or about how you can become a part of the David Cochrane Basketball Academy family, please contact Coach Cochrane or his business manager Jeff Egnot at
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