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Early Building Blocks: Olivia Cochran

January 31, 2022

All eyes are on Olivia Cochran. Representing the US in the 2019 U18 3x3 World Cup, earning a gold medal and MVP honors, basketball legends have called her the best high school player to come out of Georgia since Maya Moore in 2007. And now, with her high school jersey tucked away, she’s dominating the court as a sophomore forward at Louisville.

 But things weren’t always so easy for Olivia. “I had self-esteem problems,” she said of her early years, “I didn’t have confidence like everyone else. Sometimes, I still don’t.” Already standing 6’ 0” in middle school, Olivia was frequently bullied for her size, which took a toll on her emotionally. 
Until she met Ebone Cutts, her middle school basketball coach. Ebone saw immense potential in Olivia, and stepped in as her mentor. “She saw something in me,” Cochran has said of her coach. “She saw something that I didn’t see.” Ebone immediately started training Olivia for the school basketball team.
 The training was intense, but by the seventh grade, Olivia had already developed the drive and confidence that made her the player she is today. Today, Ebone shies away from taking credit for Olivia’s success, saying that it was easy to coach a kid so driven to succeed. But Olivia credits Ebone not just with her success as an athlete, but as a person.
Olivia now wants to give back to the place that started it all for her – Rothschild Middle School. Vintage Brand is so happy to assist in that goal, and will be donating giveaway items for her to sign for the students. She’s beyond excited to connect with young kids just like herself, and show them that they, too, can follow in her footsteps – to follow a dream and succeed.
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