Cochran bolsters ‘Eaters

Kelly Cochran had the ivory California smile, the West Hills address, the prep school education and the lifestyle befitting the daughter of a successful television producer.

Even with the perspiration and the All-CIF Southern Section performance, UC Irvine women’s basketball coach Molly Tuter said it was hard not to perceive the 5-foot-11 forward from Chaminade High as a bit of a princess.

It was not until after she convinced Cochran to join the Anteaters’ program that Tuter learned Cochran’s polished exterior concealed the soul of a cutthroat competitor.

“She kind of comes off a little prissy sometimes,” Tuter said of the 5-foot-11 forward, whose emergence helped the Anteaters rebound from a 2-13 start to win seven of their final 12 regular-season games and tie for third in the Big West Conference. “But when you get down to it, she’s not prissy at all.”

Cochran, who made her first start in the Anteaters’ 16th game of the season, has started every game since. Entering UCI’s first-round Big West Conference Tournament game against Cal State Northridge, today at 2:30 p.m. at the Anaheim Convention Center, she is averaging 10.7 points ? second on the team to Angie Ned (13.1).

UCI (9-17) is the No. 6 seed in the tournament. Northridge (8-19) is seeded seventh. Today’s winner advances to Thursday’s second round.

Cochran leads the Anteaters in rebounds (6.4 per game), blocked shots (1.2 per contest) and field goal shooting (50%). In 14 Big West games, she averaged 13.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and shot 52.8% from the field. She was named second-team all-conference and made the Big West All-Freshman team.

“She has been a big part of our [recent success, which included a five-game winning streak that began when she sank a 15-foot game-winner with 1.1 seconds left in a 65-63 triumph at UC Riverside on Feb. 4],” Tuter said. “I think she’s the best freshman in our conference.

“When she hit that big shot against Riverside, it kind of gave our team extra confidence. It helped us realize that hard work really does pay off.”

Cochran’s strong play and competitive spirit have made her somewhat of a team leader, something Tuter did not envision so early in her collegiate career.

“Kelly has exceeded my expectations for her freshman year,” Tuter said. “I knew she was a tough kid, a confident kid and I knew she would compete hard. But I didn’t realize she was as talented as she is.”

Cochran utilizes quickness and desire to often outplay taller frontline opponents. She is comfortable posting up, battling on the boards, shooting mid-range jumpers or taking slower defenders off the dribble.

But Tuter said it’s her attitude that may be Cochran’s greatest attribute on the court.

“She just loves to compete and she loves to win,” Tuter said. “She wants to play me in H-O-R-S-E every day and she beat me twice just the other day. She loves competitive challenges, because she wants to become better. I think that competitive spirit is going to help her not only in basketball, but whatever she chooses to do in life.”

Cochran is a film and media studies major, and said she might like to follow in the footsteps of her father, Robert Cochran. The elder Cochran is an executive producer of the television series “24,” for which he has written seven episodes and won a writing Emmy in 2002.

Cochran said she is proud of her Dad’s success, but often disappoints friends anxious to gain inside information on “24,” a drama series that unveils the events of a single day in one-hour increments over an entire season.

“All my friends want to know ‘What’s happening on ‘24’?’ ‘’ Kelly Cochran said. “The fans of the show are all crazy. If you’re into [the show], you can get insane about it. I think as I’ve had more and more friends who are obsessed with ‘24,’ my Dad has told me less and less [about the plot].”

Cochran would love to help the Anteaters add a memorable final chapter to their 2005-06 season. They have beaten every team in the Big West Tournament except regular-season co-champion Long Beach State, which edged the ‘Eaters, 67-65, Saturday.

“We have that confidence now that we lacked in the beginning,” Cochran said. “I think we’re hungry. We haven’t been winning like this for a long time [UCI’s only conference tournament championship came in 1995].

“We want to go out there and make history.”

dpt.08-cochran-CPhotoInfoCH1ON91O20060308iv6bt2knMARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT(LA)UC Irvine’s Kelly Cochran (32) was chosen to the All-Big West Conference second team as a freshman, despite not starting until midway through the season. She is second on the team in scoring.