“I do it for the love of the game” – Bill Cochrane
The old saying, “It doesn’t matter whether you win or lose, but how you played the game,” has been around for a number of years, so has Salem High School’s head basketball coach Bill Cochrane. Cochrane, the Sun Devils’ boys varsity basketball coach, began his coaching career in 1969 and this past Tuesday he reached a milestone in his career, his 400th victory. Coach Cochrane has averaged almost 14 wins each year. This is no small feat, as very few high school coaches reach even 300 victories during a career. Coaching milestones aside, Bill Cochrane’s are the top ranked team in Southside Hampton Roads.
On January 16th, the Sun Devils’ 64-57 victory over Tallwood extended Salem’s Beach District winning streak to 29 games. Salem is 10-0 in the District and 12-1 overall. Its lone defeat came at the hands of nationally ranked Oak Hill Academy during the Glaxo Welcome Holiday Invitational in North Carolina.
Bill Cochrane’s basketball career began in 1969 at Kempsville Middle School, where his teams won two championships. Three years later, Coach Cochrane became a varsity coach when he moved to Kempsville High School. Success was no guarantee, as the fledgling program had not had a winning season in eight years. However, his love of the game and sound coaching philosophy proved to be vital concomitants in Kempsville’s success. For seven year he undergirded the school’s accomplishments and consistently produced winning teams. In 1979, Green Run High School opened and Cochrane again packed his bags, at the behest of the new principal, and continued to win basketball games. His last move came in 1989, with the opening of Salem High School. Cochrane’s move was a good one for Salem. Don’t ask Cochrane how many district championships he has won; he couldn’t tell you. However, further investigation would reveal that it is somewhere in the neighborhood of 13.
His father, Arthur Cochrane, wanted Bill to follow in his footsteps and attend pharmacy school at the University of North Carolina. But Cochrane, an accomplished basketball player, knew he wanted to stay around the game he loved since childhood. His father understood and supported his son’s decision to pursue his own career. Like father, like son; both are good people and highly successful in helping others.
When you ask Bill Cochrane about his success and his feeling of winning 400 games, his response is: “I’m not one to keep up with my record. The paper informed me and I really didn’t know.” What is so special about basketball? “What I like is challenging my athletes and building the right chemistry. I coach for the love of the game. I enjoy my work and I love kids on an off the court. I like to see them grow and become successful in life.”
Indeed, Salem is fortunate to have someone like Bill Cochrane teaching and coaching young athletes. What more can you say about Bill Cochrane? Not only is he a successful basketball coach, but he is an excellent role model and a good human being.
