John Vallely

John Vallely (born 1948) 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.