Arizona was training Sunday when a team manager told Wildcats coach Jay Johnson that Kobe Bryant had died. Like everyone else, Johnson was stunned.
When practice ended, Johnson grabbed his phone to find out what happened. The first thing he saw shook him even more: John Altobelli, the longtime baseball coach at Orange Coast College, also was aboard the helicopter that crashed Sunday morning north of Los Angeles, killing nine people.
Johnsonβs heart sunk. Altobelli not only was a colleague but a friend. Johnson had recruited Altobelliβs son, J.J., who ended up going to Oregon. The coaches had known each other for more than 15 years.
βIt kind of knocked you out for a while,β Johnson said Thursday. βI just went home and sat on the couch for a couple hours in disbelief.β
Others lost in the crash included Altobelliβs wife, Keri, 46; their daughter, Alyssa, 13; and Bryantβs daughter, Gianna, also 13. They were on their way from Orange County to a basketball game in Thousand Oaks when fog and fate intervened.
βHe was just such a good dude,β Johnson said of Altobelli, 56. βThereβs coaches in your mind that you deal with that stand out. When you called him, he always called you back or picked up the phone and was very engaging.β
Johnson recalled attending an OCC practice in the early 2000s. He was an assistant coach at Point Loma Nazarene, an NAIA school at the time. He said Altobelli regarded him as if he were the head coach at an NCAA Division I program.
βHe treated me awesome,β Johnson said. βThatβs something that always stuck with me.β
Altobelli, who is survived by J.J. and a daughter, Lexi, led OCC to the 2019 state baseball championship. It was his fourth such title, tied for third most in the history of California community college baseball.
Altobelli compiled a 705-478-4 record over 27 seasons as the head coach of the Pirates. During that time he formed countless relationships with players and coaches, including Johnson and UA assistant Dave Lawn.
One of Lawnβs former players at Servite High School in Anaheim, Jeff Belger, played for Altobelli and is a member of the OCC staff. Another, Ryan Doran, went on to pitch for San Diego State and made it to Double-A in the minor leagues.
βYou start thinking about all the players on his team,β Lawn said. βThen you start thinking, βGod, when was the last time I talked to John?β β
Lawn last spoke to Altobelli in November, when one of his pitchers happened to be in Tucson and wanted to check out the facilities at Hi Corbett Field.
βI wouldnβt say I knew him well, but Iβd talk to him three or four times a year,β Lawn said. βItβs certainly a gaping loss, a gaping hole for that league. Itβs a horrible deal.β
Several of Johnsonβs former players also played for Altobelli. They included pitcher Calvin Drummond, a standout for the 2012 University of San Diego club for which Johnson served as associate head coach. Drummond would go on to play pro ball for six seasons.
Altobelli let Drummond transfer from OCC to USD after his freshman year. Johnson said that gesture spoke to Altobelliβs character.
βNot many coaches really are on board with that sort of thing,β Johnson said. βHe felt like that was best for him, so he gave it the thumbs up.β
Johnson tried to get J.J. to play for USD. He had a stellar career at Oregon, played two seasons in the minors and is now a scout for the Boston Red Sox. He also spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Cal State Fullerton.
βJust knowing he was Johnβs son,β Johnson said, βthere was no question about what his qualifications as a coach would be.β
Johnson exchanged text messages with J.J. on Monday morning to see how he was doing. Johnson described the younger Altobelli as βdevastated.β
βI think one of the best titles that anybody can have is being a good dad,β Johnson said. βHe obviously had a great dad. They had a great relationship. I canβt imagine the pain that him and his sister are going through right now.β
