Posted on: Saturday, April 9, 2005

Former UH basketball player dies in California

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Former University of Hawai'i basketball player John Molle Jr. was remembered as a tough competitor who was trying to improve his life.

"He was a nice guy who didn't get a lot of breaks," said UH associate coach Jackson Wheeler, who recruited Molle to UH in 1992.

Molle, 33, was killed April 1 in Santa Ana, Calif., after he sought the people who stole his car. He died from a gunshot wound to the head. No suspect has been arrested.

"I talked to him a week and a half ago," Wheeler said. "He seemed fine. He seemed in good spirits. I talked to him quite often. He always had a good place in my heart. This is really sad."

Molle attended San Diego State and Saddleback Community College before signing with the Warriors. As a 6 foot-4 senior, he helped the Warriors win the 1994 Western Athletic Conference Tournament and earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Molle was a skilled outside shooter who also played power forward.

"He certainly wasn't a power forward, but he was that versatile," former Saddleback coach Bill Brummel said.

Molle's life spiraled soon after leaving UH. He spent a few years in prison after being convicted of a car-jacking. In prison, Molle became a Christian.

"He turned his life around," UH coach Riley Wallace said. "I've always thought good of John, and I always will. He was a tough and hard-nosed kid, but he was always good around me."

Brummel said Molle's aggressive style invoked taunts from opposing fans. But Brummel also remembered how Molle was a popular figure during a UH camp in 1993.

"He had a magnetic personality for young kids," Brummel said. "The kids just loved him. They followed him around, like he was the Pied Piper. To see the connection he had with kids ... that was an enjoyable memory."