Tributes honoring NBA superstar Kobe Bryant took place soon after the news of his passing in a California helicopter accident. USA TODAY

Harvard pitching coach Brady Kirkpatrick, teammates with Aaron Judge and Jeff McNeil on that famed Cape Cod League team in 2012, stared at his phone and could barely breath.

He learned about Kobe Bryants death on Twitter, but hours later, scrolling through for the latest updates, he saw the names of the other victims in the helicopter crash.

John Altobelli, his beloved coach from that summer, and close friend.

Altobelli's wife, Keri.

And his daughter, Alyssa.

Im sitting at the kitchen table, Kirkpatrick told USA TODAY Sports, and I couldnt move. I didnt move for 20 minutes. I was in complete shock. I couldnt believe it was real.

I still cant.

Just three weeks ago, Altobelli, 56, was being honored as the national coach of the year at the annual American Baseball Coaches Association convention afterwinning his fourth state title in his 27 years at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, Calif.

He coached Judge,McNeil and other future major-leaguers during his three years with the Brewster Whitecaps in the Cape Cod League.

Here he was having the greatest time of his life, honored as the national JUCO coach of the year, Kirkpatrick said, talking about his family and life and everything else. He just loved his family.

I cant believe hes gone.

News of Altobellis death sent shock waves around the baseball world, with players like McNeil tweeting how instrumental he was to their success.

This is a man who was absolutely beloved in the collegiate ranks, touching so many lives that Orange Coast College associate coach Nate Johnson called himthe Kobe of the junior college baseball world.

He could have coached at any level, I mean any level, said Michigan baseball coach Erik Bakich, whowas friends with Altobelli. He was incredible to be connected to so many coaches among so many levels. He just had that personality that you gravitated towards him. You always wanted to be around him.

I recruited quite a few of his players, and one of the constant themes as that they were always really good kids. His former players talked about his ability to influence them as a man, a future husband, a father.

He was in it for much more than baseball.

John Altobelli died in a helicopter crash in California on Sunday.(Photo: Orange Coast College)

Altobelli and Bryant became friends through their daughters playing on the same youth basketball teams.

Bryant would occasionally visit Altobellis games, give pep talks, and Altobelli would rave about Bryant to his friends.

He talked about what a good guy Kobe was, how down-to-earth he was, and how real he was, said Scott Pickler, the Hall of Fame collegiate coach at Cypress College and one of Altobellis closest friends. He would go on and on about him. They were pretty tight.

He used to tell me how Kobe made it so much easier traveling to his daughters games by helicopter. They were doing that more and more.

So when I heard the news about Kobe Bryant, I just hoped Alto wasnt with him.

Then when Tim Matz [OCC assistant coach] told me that only was John there, but also his wife and daughter, Oh, my God.

Pickler, whose teams played about 100 games against Altobelli over the years, said they never once had an argumentor even got remotely mad at one another.

He was a fierce competitor, he just got after it, Pickler said. As competitive as we both are, we were just as friendly after the games as before them. There was never a falling out. Just two competitive guys who enjoyed the competition.

He could be tough, but never once did I hear anybody talk bad about John. He was so respected by every coach.

BRYANT:Don't shy away from Kobe's complicated legacy

MORE ON KOBE:Final interview offered window into NBA legend's motivation

When Michigan reached theCollege World Series in 2019, the team's players madea pulling-the-rope gesture after extra-base hits toshowthey were all pulling together. Altobelli was the one who came up with the idea, and when one of his former players, center fielder Cody Brewer transferred to Michigan, he passed it onto the Wolverines program.

That pull-the-rope mantra was straight from Coach Altobelli, Bakich said. He had such a major influence over all of coaches at all of the levels."

Altobelli won more than 700 games in his career at Orange Coast, but no one judged him by wins and losses, rather his success making young men better, on and off the field.

I remember we were in dead-last place all summer when I played for him, Kirkpatrick said, but it never felt like that. We still had a blast because of his passion on and off the field. There was no pressure. He just wanted us to go out there and figure things out for ourselves.

He built such strong relationships with everyone, and Ive never forgotten that. I try to do that with my own players now.

Matt Hyde, the New York Yankees northeast scouting supervisor anda liaison to the Cape Cod League, called Altobelli a role model for all of the collegiate coaches. He made sure it was never about him. It was simply about his players.

Coaching the best players in the country in the Cape Cod League he wasn't caugh tup in the winning and losing, Hyde said. "He was comfortable enough in his own skin to just let his players play. He allowed them to be themselves and not be afraid to fail, which is a big deal in that setting. There was that trust factor. Thats what really stood about it with me.

You run across people once in a while that are very genuine and authentic, whos just so incredibly gracious, and that was him. Everybody wanted to be around him.

Agent Scott Boras, who lives in the same neighborhood as Kobe Bryants family, frequenting the same church, certainly could understand how Bryant and Altobelli became close friends.

Boras saw thekindness and generosity asAltobellitriedto make a difference in peoples lives. When starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel was without a job until June last summer as a free agent, Altobelli routinely volunteered to let Keuchel use their facilities and pitch against his players.

John was the kind of guy who wanted to advance any players needs, Boras said. He wanted to win, but he viewed his own program as helping student-athletes into four-year universities and beyond. He had one of those personalities that he was always asking what he could do to help, and never wanting anything in return.

Just a wonderful, wonderful man with a vibrant, young spirit.

Famed UCLA baseball coach John Savage talked about Altobellis legacy during dinner Sunday with Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, who played for Savage, along with his wife, Amy. They talked about the pain of losing a giant in the Southern California baseball community.

He was really a legendary coach who made such an impact on junior-college players and their families, Savage said. His energy, his willingness to help people that were on their way up, or on their way down, he touches so many lives.

Beau Wright, 29, who now works in the cargo division at Los Angeles InternationalAirport, remembers being a broken-down young pitcher recovering from Tommy John surgery when Altobelli reached out.

He had just dropped out of school at UC-Irvine, wondering where life would lead, when Altobelli offered him to work out with his baseball program in hopes of rejuvenating his career.

I was young, I thought the world was crashing down, didnt know where to turn, Wright said, and there he was for me.

Wright went to Orange Coast College, began pitching again, was drafted in 2010 by the Miami Marlins, and had a three-year professional career.

That wouldnt have happened without Coach Alto, Wright said. He was pivotal in me continuing and furthering my career. He meant so much to me.

I was just thinking about the last hitter I ever faced in spring training. We were playing the Cardinals. And I was facing J.J., his son.

Life works in so many mysterious ways.

The last time Altobelli was with his team was Saturday at practice, with itsseason-opener scheduled for Tuesday. He told the team he was flying with Bryant to see his daughter play at the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, but if anyone needed him, please dont hesitate to call.

They all gathered Sunday, current players, alumni and parents, maybe 150 people in all, to mourn together.

It was beautiful, it was touching, Orange Coast College athletic director Jason Kehler said. He had such a passion for the game, but even more he had a passion for Orange Coast baseball.

The championships are there, the wins are there, but his success will be measured by not only making them better ballplayers, but better people.

Thats what Ill remember.

They will gather again Tuesday for their game against Southwestern. The players told Kehler and the coaching staff they wanted to play. Really, they needed to play.

Coach Alto wouldnt want it any other way.

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

More:
Killed in helicopter crash, John Altobelli remembered as 'Kobe of the junior college baseball world' - USA TODAY