Coach Renaissance Academy. Founder/Instructor Hoop Academy. Blazers Club Team NCAA Viewing.

Updated info:

Coach Sid Cooke-2nd year back at Renaissance Academy after a 16yr run from 2000-2016 as Head Coach & Athletic Director.The current team of 12 international players from France,Poland,Russia & Kazakhstan has improved significantly while playing Prep & Post Grad teams.

Renaissance history/Success is in the “who we are” Section of this Site.

Our latest games in December included a tough talented Apex International team that Renaissance won 75-65.Prior to that we played at the EIBC showcase.lost at the buzzer to Mountain Valley prep out of Las Vegas & beat AOSS Prep HS team.

Prior to returning back to Renaissance Coach Sid Coached the National Post Grad team at AOSS Prep in Corona California for 2 1/2 yrs along with running Hoop Academy type skills/Fundamentals clinics.

Current players from AOSS Prep in college are 6’9 220 Post Maksim Aliakseyeu Nobel College & 6’5 guard Cypress Graham at UC Merced.

Prior to AOSS prep Coach Sid was the Head Coach at Burbank high school.In 2020-21 Burbank HS went to the division 3AA semi’s & earned a trip to the Div 3A CIF state Playoffs.Its important to acknowledge these players for their contributions and honors from the 2020-21 season.

2020 -Elmer Reyes All CIF 1st team Division 3AA.

Vartan Avetisyan ALL CIF 2nd team DIV 3AA.

2020 -Armen Nazaryan Honorary Captain.

2021 Phoenix Mosley 1st team All Pacific league.Team Captain 

2022 Sattwik Banerjee 1st All Pacific League (30pt per Game) 

Omar Payind All Pacific League.2nd leading scorer.

Hoop Academy instructional skills/fundamentals clinic is dedicated to teaching & serving the So.California basketball community for over 20yrs.

Hoop Academy Alumni Honors

Congrats to these particular Hoop Academy participants,Former HS & Blazer club team players for their Accomplishments.

Marquise Mosley Div 1 Cal Baptist & Biola College- DIV 1 Euro league Montenegro.

MVP & Champion-Mayor de Baloncesto Pro league El Salvador & FIBA Qualifier.

Anthony Stover( Renaissance 3yrs) UCLA,NBA D-League.Euro league APOP Cypress.

Kyle Leufroy-Lehigh Div 1.15th all time scorer 1,417 pt.104 assists senior year! Germany-D1

Dushon Carter- Cal State Los Angeles Div 2

Tomas Auruskevicius-Regis College Div 2

Brandi Kimble- Univ. New Mexico Div 1

Kelly Tarver- Cal State Bakersfield   Div 1

Marissa Raya- La Verne College. 5th all time scorer. 1# -all time steals.

Pavle Roganovic -Head Coach KK Primorje 1945 (Euro league)Montenegro former Professional player.

Elmer Reyes-La Sierra College NAIA
Manny Kapushian-LA Valley Community College
Alexis Dargenton- Utah State-Currently Pro B DIV-France
Kyle Leufroy- Lehigh University- Germany DIV 2 
Nick Stover- South Alabama D1. International Qatar & Saudi Arabia -SBL 24 pt per game
Haudrick Hilaire- Jackson State D1

Courtney Chen- Redlands University

Josh Thomas- Warner Pacific
Kosta Jankovic - Kennesaw state D1
Jessy Cantinol-Lake Superior State (Michigan)
Steve Herve- Biola University
Bertram Mak - Cal Poly Pomona
Jordan Wilson- Northern Colorado D1
Grant Arthur - Cal State Los Angeles

L2B ELITE sportswear

We would like to thank L2B Sports apparel for becoming a sponsor of the Hoop Academy.
Check out l2belite.com
 Or
Twitter: @thareall2b

Blazer Club team NCAA Viewing events

Congrats to the Blazer High school club team on winning the Platinum Division Championship at the  Pangos Sweet 16 NCAA viewing Event at Cerritos College this past weekend.
The Blazer team defeated a very tough Cal Supreme Red Team in the Final-73-58.
All the Blazer players have been dedicated Participants of Hoop Academy.

Who We Are

Hoop Academy is led by clinic director Sid Cooke currently the Head Coach at Renaissance Academy after Coaching 2 1/2 at AOSS Prep Post Grad  in Corona Ca.

Coach Cooke was the Boys varsity head coach at Burbank High 2019-2022,in his 2nd season led the Bulldogs to the Cif southern section Division 3AA semi-finals & 1st Round of the DIV 3 State playoffs.

Coach Cooke was Assistant coach for the men’s team at Glendale community college from 2016 to 2019.

Coach Cooke most successful team was the Renaissance Academy boys' varsity basketball team from 2000 to 2016.In the 2015/2016 season Coach Cooke led the Wildcats to Ther 6th CIF Final in 11 years & 2014 the Wildcats won the CIF So Section Division 5A Championship vs Santa Clarita Christian and then won the 2014 CIF So. California State Regional Championship by defeating Los Angeles View Park Prep.The Wildcats then played for the Division 5 State Championship losing to Alameda St Joseph. Cooke was named the Division 5A Coach of the Year by SCIBCA-(coaches association).
In 2012 the Wildcats won the CIF So. Section Div. 6 Championship and reached the CIF  State Div.5  So. Section Regional Final losing to Village Christian 58-57.

Coach Cooke was named the CIF So. Section Division 6 Coach of the Year by SCIBCA. The Wildcats finished the season at 27-7.

In 2008 Renaissance Academy won the Div. 5 CIF Southern California State Regional Championship vs Price HS led by former NBA Portland Trailblazer Allan Crabbe as well as a CIF State Championship appearance in Sacramento the same year,the Wildcats also advanced to the Div. 3A Semi-Finals.
 Renaissance Academy in addition has three consecutive CIF Southern Section finals appearances in 2005-(Div. 5A), 2006 (Div. 5A) 2007 (div. 3A).Coach Cooke was named 2008 Glendale News-Press coach of the year. In 2010 the Wildcats reached the Division 5A So. Section CIF Semi-Finals and finished 21-9. Coach Cooke reached 400 wins in 2022.
Coach Cooke was an assistant training coach for the Chinese Men's Jr. National team in 2006. He has also conducted clinics for men and women teams from Brazil, Japan and Korea. In addition he led the Pasadena Hoop Rats girls 15 and Under team to a Southern California AAU championship in 2003 which included WNBA Phoenix Mercury Player Taylor Lily along with New Mexico St. Player Brandi Kimble and Cal State Bakersfield guard Kelly Tarver as well as a 2005 AAU title and  runner-ups in 2002 and 2004. Coach Cooke was the Head Coach for the 2000 YBOA National Champion Monterey Park Heat Girls-12 & Under team.

Coach Cooke during a 12 year period was the Director &  Coach of the GF Pasadena Blazers club team That participated in NCAA viewing events throughout the Western States.

Hoop academy coaches include:

Keith Hollimon- Currently Head Coach at Compton Community College Men's Team.

Coach Hollimon is in his 7th year as an assistant coach and prior to that he was a Basketball Agent that represented players on the international level in Europe,Asia and Australia.Keith was a standout player at Azusa Pacific College (1988-1992).

Ken Banks currently a  former boys Varsity Asst. Coach at St. John Bosco. Coach Banks was at  LA City Section powerhouse Taft High School for many years where he coached players such as Former Lakers Jordan Farmar (New Jersey Nets) Larry Drew UCLA, Spencer Dinwiddie Currently With NBA Brooklyn Nets & Calvin Hayes Oregon State. Coach Banks was also the head coach for the Boys Varsity basketball team at Marshall HS Pasadena Ca.

Ron Mosley, who played at La Verne University in 2002 and 2003 and East LA Community College in 2001. Coach Mosley was the head coach at Bassett High 2006 and led the Olympians to the 1st league Championship in the school's history along with in appearance in the CIF 3aa Quarter-Finals.

What We Do

Hoop Academy provides basketball clinics held in La Canada and Pasadena areas. Training focuses on player’s understanding of footwork, proper angles and techniques for ball handling, shooting, and defense through advanced drills and theories. Emphasis is placed on fundamentals which will also include court awareness for player’s total development.

Testimonials

Andre Spencer is a former NBA basketball player that played  for three teams: the Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings during his NBA career. He was a 6'6" forward and played at Bakersfield Junior College, and Northern Arizona University. He awplso played in France, Israel and Spain and retired in 2002.

I've known Sid Cooke for over 10 years. He has run the best fundamentals, skills camps and clinics anywhere. The development of the kids who have attended his training session have been tremendous. I've taken my kids to Sid's training since they've been little. I now have a 6'4 daughter who's currently attending UCR on a fully paid Scholarship for 5 years. And get this she didn't even want to play basketball. This training has been the best kept secret in Southern California. Parents if you truly want to invest in your children's future this is it, time and money well spent. You'll see instant results, from old school teaching and training.

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Anicet Lavodrama is a former Professional basketball player in the ACB League (1986-1998, Spain). He is currently You First Sports Expansion Director. You First Sports currently represents 40 NBA players that include Serge Ibaka, Jamal Crawford, Carlos Delfino, Kyle Lowry and over 100 international players in Europe and South America.  General Manager of Fórum Valladolid team, Director of Development and International Relations of FIBA (2000-05), International Scouting of Cleveland Cavaliers team (2005-07). Graduate of Houston Baptist University (B.A. Finance and Management) in Houston, Texas.

After spending some time in La Cañada  watching and enjoying coach Sid Cooke’s work at his clinic and Hoop Academy, coaching young basketball players aged from 10 years old all the way to 18 years old, the intensity and precision of his instructions were what first stood out for me. I had heard about his commitment with instilling a solid fundamentals base to the young players, and his practices all focused on stressing that the player acquires overall basketball fundamentals from shooting form in motion, hard and fluid dribbling, the right defensive stance, and  quick reading of tactical situations to execute what was worked on during technical drills exercises. Coach Sid was tough, demanding, at the same time it was obvious the young players looked focused and in a zone going through each skills stations.

I firmly believe in a coach who pushes players to assume their responsibilities and never shy away from a decision, especially to be facing the basket and taking a shot when open and at the right time, crisp and precise passing and ball movement. He was simply burning with intensity and precision in each action he called out.

Coach Sid Cooke is definitely one of those coaches who are able to coach and especially to teach. From what I witnessed this past summer, his players were very technically sound and mentally mature. He was tough and caring.  And he definitely enjoyed being on the basketball court !! I loved that.

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Coach Richard (Dick) Marquis (Founder and Former President of the original NBA 
Summer Pro League, where he coached former NBA player such as Henry Bibby, Bill Laimbeer, Swen Nader, Archie Clark, Cliff Anderson, David Greenwood just to name a few, with the financial help of the NBA, he organized the largest amateur basketball development program in the USA, founder of Olympic Development Basketball which included many of the top high school and colleges players across the country, Coached at International level in over 30 countries, including Russia, Spain, China and Brazil).

Coach Sid Cooke has the ability to break down strengths and weakness through certain drills and techniques that speed up and benefit player’s improvement, he teaches players what they need to know to become better.

When we get a request to work with a talented athlete from another country I rely on Coach Sid to train and develop these players for college and professional basketball.

Click here to read all testimonials

Where

Hoop Academy conducts its training clinics on Saturdays and Sundays:

Saturdays from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Club of Pasadena located at 2020 N Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena, CA 91103. (Google Directions)

Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at F.I.S. Gymnasium located at 4490 Cornishon Ave., La Canada, CA 91011. (Google Directions)