Former Cape Cod League coach John Altobelli, his wife, Keri, and daughter, Alyssa, were aboard the helicopter that crashed in Calabasas, Calif., on Sunday, killing nine passengers including NBA great Kobe Bryant, and his daughter, Gianna.
The group was flying to Thousand Oaks, Calif., for a basketball game, where GiannaΒ and Alyssa were expected to play and Bryant was expected to coach. Gianna and Alyssa were teammates at the Mamba Academy, and Altobelli would often fly with his daughter to attend the games.
John Altobelli, 56, was the coach of the Orange Coast College (OCC) baseball team. He spent 27 seasons as coach at the community college in Costa Mesa, California. The team won a state championship last year and Altobelli was named national coach of the year. He led the team to more than 700 victories and four state titles.
The Brewster Whitecaps confirmed in a series of Tweets that Altobelli coached on the Cape in the summers of 2012, 2013 and 2014. “John was our head coach in 2012-14, and his son JJ played for us too. JJ and his other daughter Alexis survive them. Our heartfelt condolences to his family.”
