COOKS HAVE THE RECIPE

By the time Jason Cook turns professional after the UCLA men’s tennis season ends next month, he will have left behind some big shoes for his little brother to fill.

But so far, they have been a good fit for Lester Cook IV.

While Jason is playing No. 2 singles as a senior for UCLA, the top-ranked Division I team in the nation, Lester, who will turn 15 on Saturday, has been following in his older brother’s footsteps as a standout on the junior tennis circuit.

“He’s a great person for me to look up to,” Lester said. “He’s been there and he’s gone through things in tennis. He has a lot of experience and he shares it with me.”

The Calabasas residents would have liked to share similar experiences in the 99th annual Ojai tournament, and it might have happened, too.

However, Lester lost, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, on Thursday in a boys’ 16 first-round match against Elad Milo at Soule Park. Milo is a top age-group player from Israel who is attending the Weil Tennis Academy in Ojai.

Cook, seeded fourth in the division, was eliminated despite showing an impressive serve for his size (5-foot-5, 115 pounds) and a deft touch on an effective backhand volley. He had third-set leads of 4-3 and 5-4 and had four match points before succumbing.

“It’s always frustrating to lose like that, but there were a couple of close calls and he played a great match,” Cook said.

Jason is playing No. 2 singles and at No. 1 doubles with Brandon Kramer in the Pacific 10 Conference Championships at Ojai.

The Cook brothers have not experienced many losses in the past year.

Lester finished last year ranked No. 27 in the nation in boys’ 14s by the U.S. Tennis Assn. He was ranked 19th in Southern California in the same division. More recently, he advanced to the 16s final of the South Bay tournament, and went to the round of 32 in singles and the round of 16 in doubles in the Easter Bowl Junior Championships in Florida.

He has tournament wins over top age-group players from Bolivia, Uruguay, Canada and Russia in the last year.

Jason has blossomed at UCLA since transferring from New Mexico three years ago. He has moved up the Bruins’ ladder, from No. 6 singles and No. 3 doubles since his arrival.

“We knew we had the players coming back to do well this year,” he said. “But still, having the potential to do something and to actually do it are two totally different things, so this has been good.

“And for myself, it feels good to be such a big contributor on the No. 1 team in the country.”

Jason Cook is 16-6 this year in singles play, and he and Kramer are 18-5 in doubles and ranked seventh nationally.

Jason believes Lester is a better player than he was at the same age--and could be better later, too.

“I think the second child always does a little better in a tennis family,” Jason said. “My parents didn’t always know what to do, but they kind of learned with me.

“They’re getting better coaching, more opinions, and I think Lester’s trying to take advantage of that. Plus, I think he’s got a little more raw talent than me, and obviously that’s helping him.”

Lester, who attends Bridges Academy, a tiny, private school in Sherman Oaks for two to three hours a day, is indeed well-schooled in tennis.

At his disposal is a coaching staff that includes Craig Cignarelli, a private coach who provides three hours of one-on-one instruction a day, a traveling coach with whom Lester attends national tournaments, a footwork coach, a fitness trainer and assorted other advisors.

Cook’s father, Monte, charts every shot by Lester and his opponents in a book that allows Cook to pinpoint trends and plan strategy. The charts are particularly helpful against opponents Cook has met before.

It is all done with an eye toward the future, when Lester hopes to join Jason on the pro circuit.

“Everyone wants to be No. 1 in the world,” Lester said. “If everything falls into place, and if my body evolves and my game evolves, you never know what could happen.

“But now it’s becoming more of a reality, with all the training and all the work. I think I spend more time on the game than a lot of players, and it’s starting to show this year.”

It’s a way of life for the Cooks.

“We all enjoy it,” says the boys’ mother, Daniele. “The odds of having both boys at the top of the game are just incredible.”