Wildcats mourning Altobelli’s tragic death
Chico State was top Division II 'pipeline' for Orange Coast College coach
CHICO >> Moments after winning the 2019 California Community College Athletic Association state baseball championship, in the middle of celebratory hugs, Vince Inman had one thing to tell his head coach, John Altobelli.
“Thanks for not cutting me,” Inman recalled saying to his joyous head coach.
“‘I’m so glad we didn’t Vinny,’” Altobelli quipped.
It’s a moment Inman, now a left-handed pitcher for the Chico State baseball team, won’t forget.
Altobelli, the head baseball coach at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, was one of nine people who died in a helicopter crash Sunday in Calabasas. Altobelli’s wife, Keri, and youngest daughter Alyssa, along with
NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, were also on board.
Altobelli was 56.
Inman is one of three Chico State baseball players who were part of Altobelli’s program at Orange Coast College. Skylar Limonchi, a junior outfielder for the Wildcats, was also on last year’s state championship team with Inman.
JT Navarro, a senior shortstop at Chico State, won an Orange Empire Conference title under Altobelli in 2017.
Altobelli, who had coached the Pirates for 27 seasons, made a lasting impact on the three Wildcats. So, it’s fitting they’ll begin their 2020 season Friday at Azusa Pacific, just 40 miles up the road from Orange Coast College.
Inman, originally from Huntington Beach, transferred from Irvine Valley College to Orange Coast College because “it wasn’t the right fit.”
“He changed the lives of so many guys and turned their baseball careers around,” Inman said. “I was grateful enough to have him give me another opportunity to play.”
Navarro was in high school when he first met Altobelli, walking into his office and immediately noticing his championship rings. It was clear Altobelli established a winning tradition at Orange Coast.
“You see all the pictures, all the rings, all the teams he had then you realize this is where I want to be,” Navarro said. “This is a guy I want to be around.”
Chico State head baseball
coach Dave Taylor had known Altobelli since 1996. Taylor was coaching at the University of Wyoming and had contacted Altobelli about possible transfers. When Taylor came to Chico State in 2007, that pipeline from Orange Coast to Chico was established.
“Every spring since I’ve been (at Chico State), Orange Coast has been my first stop,” Taylor said. “It’s obvious that the success we’ve had has been directly correlated to getting some of those guys in that Orange Empire Conference and he was a big part of that.”
Altobelli had a knack for finding the right fit for his players’ next destination.
“It wasn’t about pushing all his guys to Division I level. Every program at that level has D-II guys,” Taylor said. “I would be the first D-II guy that he would call.”
Taylor would often travel
to Costa Mesa, watch a Pirates game, and be in awe of Altobelli’s professionalism and his ability to be calm in trying situations. Taylor admitted he’s a mess while coaching most games.
“The calmness. I think that carried over to his team. He didn’t panic when they were down. They knew they were good,” Taylor said. “They just methodically went about their business … They played the game well and it was because they had a great leader in that dugout.”
Altobelli pushed for Navarro to attend Chico State.
“He pushed him to our place because he knew it would be a good fit for JT,” Taylor said. “Part of it is the winning part but part of it is getting out of southern California for a couple years. He knew that would be good for JT.”
Navarro stayed in touch with Altobelli after he departed to Chico State. The two would often exchange text messages, either talking baseball or trading sarcastic remarks.
“I remember him texting me ‘Hey JT, we got a new field, glad you left,’” Navarro said.
Altobelli, who was good friends with Kobe Bryant, even had the Lakers legend visit with his team before taking off to the Final Four of the state championship tournament. Navarro’s sports hero is Kobe.
“The Kobe thing hurt bad. He’d go ‘Hey JT, Kobe is coming out today, why don’t you come down?’ He knew I was in Chico,” Navarro said with a smile.
Limonchi was present when Bryant delivered an inspirational speech to the championship-bound Pirates.
“Coach Alto, he liked to make things interesting with us,” Limonchi said.
The team settled into the third-base dugout, curiously waiting for what Altobelli had planned. Then the team watched its head coach wave in Kobe Bryant, who delivered a speech with a “Mamba mentality” theme.
“It was unbelievable seeing him there,” Limonchi
said. “He told us that once you get into a championship setting like that everything at that point should be downloaded into your brain. All the hardware should be there and by the time you get on the field, it should just be reaction. It shouldn’t be a question of what you should do. It should be something that you’re ready for.”
“It’s definitely something that touched every single person who was in that dugout that day.”
Navarro sat glassy-eyed with stains of dirt garnishing his baseball pants at Tuesday’s practice. He proudly donned his Orange Empire Conference champions tshirt with a Wildcats hat.
The former Pirate has officially switched his number from No. 3 to No. 14 for his senior year to honor his former coach. Altobelli wore No. 14
“The person he was, the coach he was and the father he was — was just amazing,” Navarro said.