John Vallely
Encyclopedia
John Vallely is a retired American basketball
player from Balboa Island, Newport Beach, California
. He played for the UCLA Bruins
and in the National Basketball Association
.
He attended Corona del Mar High School
, where he was a guard turned forward. He was selected to the all California Interscholastic Federation
team and twice captured All Irvine League honors.
As a 6'2" forward for Orange Coast College
, Vallely averaged 26 points per game and broke 18 scoring records. He was selected a junior college
All American. He dribbled with his left hand and shot with his right hand. He was especially good at shooting an outside jump shot.
Vallely was an integral member of the Bruins' backcourt after transferring from Orange Coast College in 1968. Vallely was quick to make the transition from forward to guard at UCLA. In his first season, he was the Bruins' third leading scorer (12.9 p.p.g.) and adapted smoothly to head coach John Wooden
's "attack and gamble offense". He was a member of the UCLA teams that won national titles in the 1969 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
and the 1970 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
. Vallely majored in economics at UCLA and had a 3.36 grade point average as a junior.
He was selected to the twelve man 1968 Olympic trials team coached by Jerry Tarkanian
which competed in Albuquerque, New Mexico
.
He was taken by the Atlanta Hawks
in the first round of the 1970 NBA Draft
. He sat on the bench much of the time, playing behind Pete Maravich
, Lou Hudson
, Walt Hazzard
, and Herm Gilliam
. Vallely was acquired by the Houston Rockets
in November 1971 along with 6'7" forward Jim Davis
.
, where he studied prior to attending UCLA. They wed around the time he was selected in the NBA. The couple had two children, Eric and Erin. Erin died of a rare form of cancer of the soft muscle tissue in September 1991. Eric starred as a volleyball player while he was a student at UCLA.
treatment which was unsuccessful. He received a second offer from a stem cell donor bank, which received a nearly exact match from a winemaker who lived near Frankfurt, Germany. This time the treatment was a success. Vallely was able to meet his
donor following a two year waiting period.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player from Balboa Island, Newport Beach, California
Balboa Island, Newport Beach, California
Balboa Island is an area of Newport Beach, California, actually comprising three modified or artificial islands in Newport Harbor: Balboa Island , the largest; the smaller Little Balboa Island to the east of Balboa Island, joined by a two-lane bridge; and the smallest Collins Island to the...
. He played for the UCLA Bruins
UCLA Bruins men's basketball
The UCLA Bruins men's basketball program, established in 1920, owns a record 11 Division I NCAA championships. UCLA teams coached by John Wooden won 10 national titles in 12 seasons from 1964 to 1975, including 7 straight from 1967 to 1973. UCLA went undefeated a record 4 times, in 1964, 1967,...
and in the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
.
He attended Corona del Mar High School
Corona del Mar High School
Corona del Mar High School is a school located in the East Bluff neighborhood of Newport Beach, California, and belongs to the Newport Mesa Unified School District...
, where he was a guard turned forward. He was selected to the all California Interscholastic Federation
California Interscholastic Federation
The California Interscholastic Federation is the governing body for high school sports in the state of California. It mirrors similar governing bodies in other states; however, it differs from some of the others in that it covers most high schools in the state of California, both public and...
team and twice captured All Irvine League honors.
As a 6'2" forward for Orange Coast College
Orange Coast College
Orange Coast College is a community college in Orange County, California. It was founded in 1947, with its first classes opening in the fall of 1948. It provides two-year associate of art and science degrees, certificates of achievement, and lower-division classes transferable to other colleges...
, Vallely averaged 26 points per game and broke 18 scoring records. He was selected a junior college
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
All American. He dribbled with his left hand and shot with his right hand. He was especially good at shooting an outside jump shot.
Vallely was an integral member of the Bruins' backcourt after transferring from Orange Coast College in 1968. Vallely was quick to make the transition from forward to guard at UCLA. In his first season, he was the Bruins' third leading scorer (12.9 p.p.g.) and adapted smoothly to head coach John Wooden
John Wooden
John Robert Wooden was an American basketball player and coach. Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood", he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period — seven in a row — as head coach at UCLA, an unprecedented feat. Within this period, his teams won a record 88 consecutive games...
's "attack and gamble offense". He was a member of the UCLA teams that won national titles in the 1969 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
1969 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1969 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 8, 1969, and ended with the championship game on March 22 in Louisville, Kentucky...
and the 1970 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
1970 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1970 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 7, 1970, and ended with the championship game on March 21 in College Park, Maryland...
. Vallely majored in economics at UCLA and had a 3.36 grade point average as a junior.
He was selected to the twelve man 1968 Olympic trials team coached by Jerry Tarkanian
Jerry Tarkanian
Jerry Tarkanian , also known as "Tark the Shark", is a retired college basketball coach known as one of the winningest coaches in college basketball history...
which competed in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
.
He was taken by the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
in the first round of the 1970 NBA Draft
1970 NBA Draft
The 1970 NBA Draft was the 24th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on March 23, 1970 before the 1970–71 season. In this draft, 17 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players...
. He sat on the bench much of the time, playing behind Pete Maravich
Pete Maravich
Peter "Pistol Pete" Press Maravich was an American professional basketball player. Born and raised in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Maravich starred in college at Louisiana State University and played for three NBA teams until injuries induced him to retire in 1980...
, Lou Hudson
Lou Hudson
Louis Clyde Hudson is a former NBA basketball player.-NBA career:Lou graduated from Dudley High School in Greensboro. After starring at the University of Minnesota, Hudson was selected by the St. Louis Hawks with the 4th pick of the 1966 NBA Draft...
, Walt Hazzard
Walt Hazzard
Walter "Walt" Raphael Hazzard Jr. , also known as Mahdi Abdul-Rahman, was an American college, Olympic, and professional basketball player and college basketball coach...
, and Herm Gilliam
Herm Gilliam
Herman L. Gilliam Jr. was an American professional basketball player. He was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.-1965-1969:...
. Vallely was acquired by the Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
in November 1971 along with 6'7" forward Jim Davis
Jim Davis (basketball)
James W. Davis is an American former professional basketball player.A 6'9" center from the University of Colorado, Davis played in the National Basketball Association from 1967 to 1975 as a member of the St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets, and Detroit Pistons. He averaged 6.7 points and 5.2...
.
Marriage and famiy
Vallely married Karen, a woman he met at Orange Coast CollegeOrange Coast College
Orange Coast College is a community college in Orange County, California. It was founded in 1947, with its first classes opening in the fall of 1948. It provides two-year associate of art and science degrees, certificates of achievement, and lower-division classes transferable to other colleges...
, where he studied prior to attending UCLA. They wed around the time he was selected in the NBA. The couple had two children, Eric and Erin. Erin died of a rare form of cancer of the soft muscle tissue in September 1991. Eric starred as a volleyball player while he was a student at UCLA.
Illness
Vallely was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2003. He had a single stem cellStem cell
This article is about the cell type. For the medical therapy, see Stem Cell TreatmentsStem cells are biological cells found in all multicellular organisms, that can divide and differentiate into diverse specialized cell types and can self-renew to produce more stem cells...
treatment which was unsuccessful. He received a second offer from a stem cell donor bank, which received a nearly exact match from a winemaker who lived near Frankfurt, Germany. This time the treatment was a success. Vallely was able to meet his
donor following a two year waiting period.