UH baseball community mourns loss of John Altobelli, killed in crash with Kobe Bryant

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The University of Houston's head baseball coach remembered a friend, former player, and coach with kind words Monday.

Coach Todd Whitting said he became lifelong friends with John Altobelli during their time on campus.

"Alto was a fun-loving guy. He loved his family," said Whitting. "He loved the University of Houston and this program. He wanted to see us do well. If a year went by and we didn't have one of his guys, he'd kind of give me a hard time. He was a great coach."

Altobelli's nephew, Bo Altobelli, also spoke with ABC13 Monday. He said his family is still trying to process the tremendous loss.

"John was a great coach, great baseball guy, and great family guy," said Altobelli.

Follow Steve Campion on Twitter and Facebook.