Tara Williams had two choices: continue playing the sport she loved or give it up for the child she loved.

The former Auburn women’s basketball standout played for the Birmingham Power in the National Women's Basketball League in 2001, when she got pregnant and gave birth to a girl. After the baby began developing health issues after having an allergic reaction to formula, Williams ended her basketball career to take care of her child.

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Two decades later, Williams is the source of strength and motivation for her daughter, Louisville four-year starting forward Olivia Cochran. With most of the team being newcomers, Cochran embraced a bigger role this season as the most experienced player — with three Elite Eight appearances and one Final Four. She will try to lead the Cardinals on another deep run when they start the NCAA Tournament against Middle Tennessee on Friday.

“Everybody's gonna be on our necks, and we’ve got to have that (same) mindset,” Cochran said. “We’ve got to be on everybody’s necks as well. Just being tough and taking care of the ball.”

Basketball lineage

Each of the Cochran children followed in their parents’ athletic footsteps.

Olivia's younger brother, Antonio Jr., followed in the footsteps of father Antonio Cochran Sr., a former Georgia Bulldogs and Seattle Seahawks defensive end. Antonio Jr. was an edge player at Spencer High School in Columbus, Georgia. Olivia followed in her mother’s footsteps as a college basketball player.

Tara Williams began her collegiate career at Okaloosa-Walton Community College. She then transferred to Auburn in the 1995-96 season, when the Tigers made the Elite Eight before falling to Stanford, 71-57. Williams averaged 15.4 points and 6.5 rebounds in 32.1 minutes per game. She started 63 of 64 games played during her two years at Auburn.

Williams began her professional career overseas then signed with the Detroit Shock as the fifth pick in the 1998 WNBA Expansion Draft. While playing basketball in Israel in 2001, she found out she was pregnant with Olivia, which brought her back to the United States to play for the Power.

As a baby, Olivia’s allergic reaction to the formula caused her skin and hair to fall off. Williams noticed it became too much for Antonio Cochran Sr., who kept Olivia at the hotel where the family was staying.

So, family became her new priority.

“I never went back and never looked back,” Williams said. “And, if it was God's will and God's way, I feel like I did the right thing because he instilled everything that I loved about the game into (Olivia). I gave her everything I loved about the game for her to be successful. So, it was a win-win situation.”

Like mother, like daughter

Cochran has never beaten Williams in a 1-on-1 game. In trying, though, Cochran mirrored Williams’ aggression and intensity while playing.

"I know what it takes to compete, and I know what it takes to get to the next level,” Williams said. “I just wasn't gonna let up on her. A lot of people were like you’re too aggressive (with Olivia). No, I'm not. She's used to me.”

That mentality paid off. Cochran became a five-star prospect, McDonald's All-American and the 18^th-ranked player in the Class of 2020, according to espnW HoopGurlz. But life’s adversity continued to strike.

On Jan. 18, 2020, Williams had a brain aneurysm. Cochran, a senior in high school at the time, did what she could to help her mother and brother before moving more than 500 miles to Louisville later that year.

“It just made me stronger,” Cochran said. “We’ve all been through so much, but without each other, we wouldn’t be anything. We just all stayed together, and I did what I could do to help from Louisville. My mom is a strong lady. ... She’s still going through some stuff, but everybody goes through stuff. That’s what makes you stronger.”

Known for her grit, the forward exemplified her inherited strength and had an immediate impact. She started 25 of 29 games played in her collegiate debut and made the ACC’s All-Freshman team. Cochran’s been an anchor for the Cardinals this season as a 1,000-point scorer and continues to make her presence known in the post.

'As steady as they come’

Over the last two seasons, Louisville coach Jeff Walz has made in-season changes to the starting lineups four times. But on all four occasions, only one player remained: Cochran.

“O's been as steady as they come,” Walz said in December. “(She’s) a four-year starter, gets in there and battles. She rebounds. She's not afraid to contact. I'm just really proud of her because the growth that she's made over her four years has really been impressive. ... She impacts the game in so many different ways.”

After being more of a role player last season, Cochran has taken on a bigger responsibility this season as a leader on and off the court. The forward leads U of L in steals (46) and blocks (19). She's also the second-leading rebounder (6.5 per game) and third-leading scorer (10.6 points per game). It’s the first time in her career that she’s averaging double-digit scoring, earning a spot on the ACC’s second team.

From the time she was born until now, Cochran has weathered every storm, embodying the strength of her mother.

“She sacrificed a lot for me and my brother, so every day when I go out on the court, I’m playing for her,” Cochran said of Williams. “She’s my inspiration. She’s my role model. I’m trying to make it for her.”

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Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville WBB: Olivia Cochran honors mother on, off basketball court