Former UH Athlete Among Victims In Crash That Killed Kobe Bryant

MALIBU, CA — A former University of Houston baseball player along with two of his family members were among the nine victims killed in a helicopter crash in California on Sunday that left basketball great Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna dead.

John Altobelli along with his wife and daughter were among the victims in Sunday's crash that drew condolences and mourning from around the world. Altobelli transferred to the University of Houston in 1983 and was the team captain for two years, according to The Houston Chronicle.

Altobelli was currently the head baseball coach at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California. The college confirmed in a statement that Altobelli died in the crash along with his wife Keri and his daughter, Alyssa.

"John meant so much to not only Orange Coast College, but to baseball," the college's atheltic director, Jason Kehler, said in a statement. "He truly personified what it means to be a baseball coach. The passion that he put into the game, but more importantly his athletes, was second to none - he treated them like family. Our deepest condolences go out to the Altobelli family during this time of tragedy."

Bryant was headed to a travel basketball game with his daughter, according to multiple reports. A manifest showed that nine people had boarded the helicopter Sunday morning, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Sunday afternoon. Villanueva declined to identify any of the victims.

Altobelli's daughter was a teammate of Gianna Bryant's, the Los Angeles Times reported

Orange Coast College has also set up a family memorial for donations.

None of the people on board the helicopter survived the crash, which was called in at 9:47 a.m. on the 4200 block of Las Virgenes Road, according to officials. Authorities said at a news conference Sunday afternoon that nine people were believed to be on board.

Flight transmissions showed the the helicopter taking off from John Wayne Airport in Orange County before crashing on the Calabasas hillside.

Nick Garber contributed to this report.