Juanita Cochran was named Assistant Coach for the Detroit Mercy women’s basketball team in July 2022. Her responsibilities will include assisting with recruiting and serving as the team’s academic liaison and campus housing coordinator.
In 2024-25, the Titans went 15-15 overall and 8-12 in #HLWBB play. Detroit Mercy earned a No. 6 seed in the Horizon League Tournament, and earned a First Round victory over No. 11 Milwaukee at Calihan Hall. The Titans began the #HLWBB campaign 4-0 for the first time since the 1996-97 season following a New Year's Day win over IU Indy at Calihan Hall. UDM finished the year with an 11-5 record inside historic Calihan Hall. Cochran was a part of a staff that saw three players earn All-Horizon League honors, as Aaliyah McQueen and Emaia O'Brien earned Third Team All-Horizon League, while Kailey Starks was named to the All-Freshman team.
Cochran helped the coaching staff completely transform the program leading Detroit Mercy to a 17-16 (9-11 HL) record during the 2023-24 campaign, marking the first winning season since the 2016-17 season. The 12-win improvement over last year was the biggest turnaround in school history and one of the top in the nation as the Titans won just 19 total games the previous six years combined. UDM's nine #HLWBB wins were also the most since the 2016-17 season, including wins over 2023-24 #HLWBB Regular Season champion Cleveland State and third-place finisher Purdue Fort Wayne. Additionally, No. 6 seed Detroit Mercy's 59-48 first-round win over No. 11 seed RMU was their first #HLWBB Championship first-round victory since the 2016-17 season.
Under Cochran's guidance during the 2022-23 campaign, the women's hoops squad increased their win total by four games beginning with a win over Canisius which snapped a 24-game home court losing skid. The Titans also secured a series sweep over Robert Morris in #HLWBB play and also upset defending league champion IUPUI for the first time in program history. Additionally,
Amaya Burch (the coaching staff's first recruit) earned All-Freshman Team honors after scoring in double-figures 12 times while grabbing 10 boards or more in three games. She also led the team in 3-pointers made (29) while ranking second with three double-doubles and third in rebounds per game (4.7).
Cochran also currently serves as an assistant coach with the Detroit Queens of the Global Women’s Basketball Association where her responsibilities include creating scouting reports on opponents, detailing player personnel offensive and defensive tendencies and strategies while serving as the team’s Community Service Liaison.
Prior to joining the Titans, Cochran was a Physical Education Teacher for University Prep Science and Math Elementary School (2021) and Regent Park Academy (K-8) from 2019-2021. She also served as an assistant coach with Wayne County Community College for two seasons (2020-22) where she helped the team increase their win total from two to 17 in a two-year span.
Cochran also spent time as an Assistant Coach helping lead Detroit Renaissance High School to a 22-2 record, first City Championship since 2011 and District title during the 2019-2020 season before the COVID-19 shutdown derailed their state title aspirations. She helped develop Kailee Davis who earned 2020 Miss PSL, Basketball Coaches Association (BCAM) All-State and All-Detroit First Team honors and currently plays for Northern Kentucky.
She served as an Assistant Coach for the Michigan Crossover (Nike Girls EYBL) for over five years helping with player development and led the 16U team to a final ranking of 13th in the country out of 32 teams.
Cochran earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication in 2014 from Wayne State University where she was a standout women’s basketball student-athlete for two seasons from 2011-2013 earning team Co-MVP honors both years.
During her senior campaign, Cochran earned Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Second-Team honors and was named to the 2013 GLIAC All-Tournament team after helping lead the Warriors to a to 2012-13 North Division championship and conference tournament runner up finish. She went on to earn 2013 NCAA Midwest Regional All-Tournament Team honors after helping WSU to the program’s second berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament and first ever NCAA Tournament win in program history.
After Wayne State, she served as an Assistant Coach for Lawrence Tech University during the 2016-17 season where she helped guide the team to 18 wins before heading returning to WSU as a graduate assistant.
Cochran earned a Master’s in Sports Administration Degree in 2019 after serving as a Graduate Assistant Coach for the Warriors for two seasons (2017-19).
Cochran is daughter of Mother Jonette Cochran-Davis (Willie Davis) and Father Phillip Lucas (Catina Lucas) and oldest of six siblings. She and her pet Yorkie Poodle, Giannis, reside in Allen Park, Mich.
