Kobe Bryant represented different things to millions of people around the world.
To Orange County’s small and close-knit girls basketball community, he symbolized inspiration, friendship, mentorship, hope and pure wonder that they could literally touch.
The Lakers’ legend was one of them.
So it was with heavy hearts and after shedding tears that players and coaches remembered Bryant after he and his daughter Gianna were among nine people who died Sunday in a helicopter crash in Calabasas.
“Kobe Bryant was an inspiration and someone who I looked up to,” Tustin High junior guard Alyssa Norada said. “Growing up, I used to watch his highlights before bed or watch them before games, trying to learn how to perfect a signature move.”
Like so many in Orange County girls basketball, Norada also spent time with Bryant, 41, in person. He coached Gianna, 13, on the Orange County-based Mambas, an elite travel basketball team consisting of eighth graders.
The team also included Alyssa Altobelli, another 13-year-old who died in the crash along with her parents, longtime Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli and Keri.
Christina Mauser, Bryant’s top assistant on the Mambas and a former standout at Edison, also died in the crash along with Sarah and Payton Chester and the pilot.
The Mambas featured a player with the last name Chester.
“It’s tragic,” said a shaken Dave White, who coached Mauser in basketball at Edison under her maiden last name, Chistina Patterson. “I’m devastated.”
The Mambas played throughout Orange County, which meant there were numerous Kobe sightings.
From American Sports Center in Anaheim to Santiago High School to Vanguard University to Mater Dei, Bryant attracted crowds to games that usually didn’t garner much attention. He posed for photos with young players, some of whom just rushed him for a hug.
“He was so generous with his time,” Mater Dei girls basketball coach Kevin Kiernan said. “He was just amazing.”
Prayers 🙏🏽 & Condolences to the Bryant Family & the family of all the passengers involved in this tragic accident!
RIP @kobebryant pic.twitter.com/zyHnvZYVus
— Mater Dei Girls Basketball (@MaterDeiGBB) January 26, 2020
But Kiernan said the wonder extended beyond the photos. He gave young players from other teams pep talks and pats on the back.
Bryant did just that in January 2019 when he brought the Mambas to watch Mater Dei play and spoke to the Monarchs afterward. He gave the players a few tips but more than anything, encouragement.
“It’s the words behind the pictures,” Kiernan said. “That’s huge.”
Esperanza girls basketball coach Jimmy Valverde struck up a friendship with Bryant after interacting with him about two years while coaching with the O.C. Rhythm travel team.
Bryant shared with Valverde that he had a scheduling conflict at a tournament and asked if Valverde’s team could play the Mambas earlier than expected and without rest. Valverde agreed and the coaches shared a laugh.
The next time Valverde saw Bryant, the legendary player called the him over for a chat, much to amazement of Valverde’s parents in the gym.
“I feel like a lost a friend,” Valverde said. “He was just a nice guy. … There was no ego. He was just there for his daughter and the kids.”
But Bryant’s Mambas weren’t entirely like other teams.
Rhythm coach Vernon Henderson said the Mambas were not strong when they initially formed but followed Bryant’s tenacity to develop into a powerhouse. The trained seven days a week, played against older teams and expertly ran the triangle offense, which the opposition often had no answer for.
“They were seasoned,” Henderson said of a squad that included the daughter of former NBA all-star Zach Randolph.
Henderson also noticed Bryant doing something different than many coaches. He hardly yelled at his players.
“He was always teaching,” Henderson said.
Henderson said Bryant’s example and a discussion with the five-time NBA champion made him a better coach.
“I can’t stop crying,” Henderson said Sunday.
Bryant enjoyed coaching so much, he planned to coach Gianna and other players off the Mambas at Sage Hill, Henderson said.
Sage Hill coach Kerwin Walters was too upset Sunday to talk.
“They had a plan,” Henderson said. “They were going to be 1-2 in the county by their freshmen year.”
But the hope wasn’t limited to one school. The Bryants’ anticipated arrival on the county girls basketball scene was going to be bring a new-level of exposure that would benefit the sport, coaches said.
And more players would be inspired.
“Kobe was the definition of someone who was born ready,” Norada said. “He prepared, he worked and went after his goals and didn’t stop until he achieved them. He will always be one of my biggest inspirations and role models.”
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January 27, 2020 at 05:28PM
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Kobe Bryant leaves lasting impact with Orange County girls basketball community - OCRegister
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