Hard work. Leadership. Culture. That’s the foundation behind the David Cochrane Basketball Academy in Virginia Beach — a local training program that’s producing standout athletes and future leaders both on and off the court. What started as one coach helping a few local kids has grown into a full-time academy training over 700 athletes a month, including college players and even NBA pros.
In today’s article you’ll learn about:
How one Virginia Beach athlete turned his passion into a thriving academy
The culture and mindset that set DC Basketball apart from major city programs
The growing impact the academy is making on young players across the 757
Get ready to meet the coach behind Virginia Beach’s fastest-rising basketball community — and the energy driving it forward.
— Kim Checcio
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Reaching Higher Levels at the David Cochrane Basketball Academy
The David Cochrane Basketball Academy of Virginia Beach is about more than just basketball. It’s about building leaders, creating a culture and showing future men and women what hard work looks like. Cochrane started his own academy in 2018, after playing basketball right here in Virginia Beach and through high school and college. And now his academy is training NBA players right in our backyard.
At the academy, located off of London Bridge Road, Cochrane and his full-time staff of seven, train athletes from ages 6 and up around the clock. Instruction ranges from drop-in group training to individual sessions, and from recreation leagues to Old Dominion University (ODU) teammates. Over 700 athletes walk through the doors to train each month, including basketball players from just about every team and school in the 757. To date, 2500 athletes have trained with Cochrane from nine different states and two countries, and they are just getting started.
After playing at Salem High School, Cochrane went on to play ball at Castleton University in Vermont. He held several coaching jobs at both the high school and college level in Boston and around the Northeast before returning home to Virginia Beach to be closer to his family. Without intentions to continue basketball, he was asked by a local mom to train her two daughters. When training two young athletes turned into training five, and then 20, it was clear there was a demand for a training facility.
The David Cochrane Basketball Academy competes alongside larger facilities in major cities like New York, Washington, DC and Los Angeles. However, what sets the academy apart is their culture. “It’s loud energy, high communication, paying attention to details,” David shared. “The athletes keep each other accountable, ensuring their energy shifts the moment they walk into the gym. Everyone understands the skill level, the mindset and the basketball IQ needed for the next level.”
The recipe is clearly working. Over the last four years, 86 of David’s athletes have earned college basketball scholarships, including his two original students. NBA players Brice Sensibaugh of the Utah Jazz and Dorian Finney-Smith of the Los Angeles Lakers, have also trained with Cochrane.
“Culture, leadership skills and work ethic; all things necessary to get to the higher level in each workout.”
“Believe it or not we do not even have a website. We are working on making one now. Word of mouth promotion is the only thing we have done; this is a result driven business,” David shared. “Culture, leadership skills and work ethic; all things necessary to get to the higher level in each workout.”
The goal is to keep growing, in both the number of players that train and earn scholarships, as well as space, maybe a second location or a bigger building. But Cochrane’s goal is to keep the culture that he has worked so hard to build.
You can learn more about the David Cochrane Basketball Academy on Instagram @DCBasketball757.
As Featured In These Publications, Courtesy of VB Living
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