Eric E. Cooper has established himself as a basketball enthusiast which has allowed him to invest in not only himself but also in the sport that he loves. As a player, Coach Cooper was not only recognized as a local hero by leading his high school team to two straight final four appearances; he became the recipient of a full athletic scholarship to the University of Arizona.
After two years at U of A, Cooper completed college at the University of Texas San Antonio where he won the Trans American Conference Championship and where he finished his College Career averaging 20 points per game. He played 10 seasons as a professional in Europe before returning home to coach. Coach Cooper has been mentoring athletes across the globe for more than three decades. He has coached multiple levels of basketball, including professionally in the WNBA, ABA, Europe, Asia, South America, high school, prep school, and AAU.
Coach Cooper secured his first championship in 2005 as an AAU Coach, where he won the coveted AAU National Championship, which led him to becoming a high school coach. Since then, Coach Cooper has acquired many accolades as a high school coach. In 13 seasons he won the 2008, 2010, and 2016 CIF Southern Section Championships. He won the 2010 and 2011 CIF State Southern Regional Championships, and the 2010 and 2011 California State Championships. He received 9 Coach of the Year honors for his respective leagues and two California State Coach of the Year honors for his respective divisions.
Coach Cooper enjoys giving back to the community. He is the founder and current director of Dream Builders Integrated, a non profit organization that he started in 1996 with his wife Eileen Cooper, which is dedicated to helping under privileged youths.
Former Fremont HS, LA City College and UC Santa Barbara standout Les Bean enters his 20th year in the coaching field, 5th as the director and head basketball coach at Future College Prep for the 2021-2022 season. This will be Coach Bean's highly anticipated return after his retirement following in 2017.
Coach Bean began his coaching career in 1998 at LACC as an assistant coach. He decided to start coaching for his former juco as a means of training and staying in shape for the off-season of his professional overseas career. He helped guide LACC to 2-straight conference titles and assisted in developing and sending over 20 players to the D1 level,
After a very successful stint coaching at the juco level, Bean decided he was ready to head his own high school varsity program. After four seasons at Pasadena Poly HS, Bean decided to jump back into the juco ranks as an assistant at Pasadena City College.
After just one year at PCC, Bean accepted the Director of Athletics/Head Boy's Basketball position at Community Charter HS, a new charter school looking to build its athletics program. Coach Bean began developing his blueprint for building from the ground up as he single-handedly created a small-school powerhouse that won 5 straight freelance championships and became a competitive name in high school basketball. After 5 years at CCHS Bean decided moved on to the prep/post-graduate level where he continues today.
As a player, Les Bean attended Fremont HS in Los Angeles, ranked top 100-making 100 3-pointers in 1 season as a senior. Bean then opted to play juco at LACC and became a 2-time All-Conference first team player, receiving a full D1 scholarship to UC Santa Barbara. At UCSB, Bean ranked in the top 10 in assist and FT% 2 consecutive seasons. Bean then signed pro contracts to play overseas in Italy, Peru and Mexico. Bean was a "HIGH FLYER" known for his 45 inch vertical hops at only 5'11. Bean was also selected to be a "Spring-Time" athlete which performed Slam Dunk routine entertaining the crowds at halftime of NBA, WNBA and NCAA Women's Final Four.
Coach Bean holds double degrees from LACC and UC Santa Barbara; with advanced certificates in Sports Business and Graphic Design. Bean is a die-hard Denver Bronco fan and is a professional TV and Movie buff. Married with 2 kids - a daughter and a son and resides in Costa Mesa, CA.
FOUNDER & PRESIDENT OF IMPACT
What is now known internationally as Impact Basketball began in 1997, as former Division I coach, Joe Abunassar, applied his unique approach and combination of basketball skills training, strength and conditioning training, nutritional programming, and mental conditioning training, to guide the careers of several of the NBA's best players.These players' careers soared to new levels, and, in 2001, Abunassar decided that this same system could greatly benefit players of all ages who have the desire to improve. From that, Impact Basketball was born and has gone on to be the major force and leader in the player development world.Players, coaches, trainers, and teams from around the world now look to Impact for guidance in player development and overall team building and preparation. Over the years, as the program has grown, Impact has continued to stay ahead of the industry and remains the first choice for player development.
Impact now has 3 locations as well as programs running in over a dozen foreign countries - and growing. Over 130 NBA Draft picks in the last 9 years have come through Impact as well as hundreds more undrafted free agents who have gone on to become professionals. Impact is the summer training home for NBA All-Stars, collegiate and high school All-Americans, and international stars alike.Impact's influence reaches around the world to all levels of basketball players, families, and coaches. NBA veterans Kyle Lowry, Myles Turner, Serge Ibaka and Kawhi Leonard and young stars Kristaps Porzings, Troy Brown Jr, and Kendrick Nunn lead the way as a few of Impact's best known and successful clients.Many international teams, including teams from China, Philippines, Japan, Brazil, Australia, and several countries from Europe and Central America, travel thousands of miles to the Impact facilities to develop and prepare and play international competition.
Executive Director, Aveson Schools/Interim Director,
Aveson Global Leadership Academy
Aveson is committed to helping all of our students grow as scholars and future leaders. Students learn to self advocate, and are given choice and voice in their learning. Teachers are called Advisors because they collaborate with students and mentor them in their learning and long-term goals. The Aveson Way values guide advisors, staff and students through interactions with each other, with their learning, and with the greater community.
Coach William Middlebrooks was faced with the dilemma of creatively responding to political pressure, while not abandoning his vision and commitment to create a much-needed opportunity for student-athletes in the realm where education meets college athletic scholarships.
Middlebrooks Academy is the organic result of creating a solution out of a challenge.
Coach Middlebrooks is a product of the alarming 47% Detroit literacy rate, which was finally understood from data collected and reported by The National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) in 1993. During his high school years (1983-87), Detroit was the murder capital of the world and public school education was virtually non-existent. Middlebrooks never received his high school diploma, however was accepted into college due tohis basketball skills and transforming an original 500 SAT score into a 1390 SAT score (out of a possible 1600).With persistence and determination, Coach Middlebrooks graduated from college with summa cum laude honors as well as continued a process of unending self-education and life-long learning. Many have labeled and distinguished him as an authority on human potential and a modern day master motivator of young people.Coach Middlebrooks’ passion to learn and his hunger to realize greatness in himself & others helped him to achieve relative success. He rose from a “ghetto superstar” into a popular newstalk radio host; from street life to community leader; from musical genius to a respected entrepreneur; and from an illiterate communityto premier keynote speaker.
Coach Middlebrooks has created Middlebrooks Academy to empower young people.
As one of the nation's leading authorities in understanding and stimulating human potential, utilizing powerful delivery and newly emerging insights to teach, inspire and channel people to new levels of achievement, Coach Middlebrooks has developed a formula to unlock the potential in every student-athlete.
Middlebrooks Academy will be the vehicle through which “The Middlebrooks Way” formula will manifest itself.