The foundation for the CAAA was laid when Alameda County Probation Juvenile Institutional Officers, Shawn Hadnot and Ryant Diew, began coaching with the Oakland Rebels basketball organization in 2003. Their first team was a  9-and-under team composed of 7 and 8 year olds that were cut from the organization’s top a 9-and-under team. By the next season, they split into two teams and both teams immediately became the organization’s top team in their respective age groups. Over the next several years they traveled to some of the country’s biggest
tournaments, while competing and beating some of the best teams in the country. From day one their mission was to preach the importance of education, while using the game of basketball as a vehicle to gain college access. On every basketball trip, they made sure to incorporate an educational field trip in which every player had to participate and do a mini report on their experience. Past visits included visiting the National Museum of African American History and Culture (Washington, D.C.), The Smithsonian (Washington, D.C.), The Freedom Trail (Boston, MA), The Richmond Slave Trail (Richmond, VA), Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral (Merritt Island, FL), Jamestown Settlement (Jamestown, VA), Fort Sumter (Charleston, SC) and The National WWII Museum (New Orleans, LA), as well as some of the top colleges and universities around the country. From their two teams alone (Class of 2012 and 2013), they’ve produced more than 17 D-1 players, including McDonalds All-Americans Marcus Lee (Kentucky), Brandon Ashley (Arizona), as well as NBA Player Isaiah Taylor (University of Texas/Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks). In 2020, they joined the Sacramento Magic where they had a highly successful summer coaching basketball on the 15u and 16u level. However, they both felt coaching basketball just wasn’t enough, so they decided to create their own organization dedicated to academics, while serving youth in need of support beyond basketball.