John vallely biography
John Vallely (born October 3, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player from Balboa Island, Newport Beach, California who played for UCLA..
There has always been a close tie between basketball and volleyball.
The list of great players who made their marks in both sports is long: Mike Dodd, Mike Whitmarsh, Greg Lee, and, of course, the legendary Wilt Chamberlain.
Filled with miraculous triumphs and hellacious heartbreaks, The Pyramid Principle masterfully depicts the impact of UCLA Coach John Wooden and his legendary ``Pyramid of Success'' he invested into all his players during his 29 year coaching career at UCLA.
But John Vallely may be the greatest two-sport athlete of them all.
On the hardwood, Vallely was an all-CIF performer at Corona Del Mar high school and a two-time NCAA Champion at UCLA, making the all-tournament team both times.
He was named an All-American in 1970 and was drafted in the first round of the NBA where he played for the Atlanta Hawks.
As impressive as Vallely was in hoops, he was equally dominant in the sand game. Introduced to beach volleyball while in high school, when he was only 19 years old the legendary Ron Von Hagen asked Vallely to team up.
The two would form one of the game’s most intimidating duos. In 1969, Vallely and Von Hagen put together a perfect season, winning all of the five open tournaments they entered, including the Manha