Valkyries take playoff game to San Jose, where women’s hoops has plenty of history

SAN JOSE When Otis Watson closes his eyes he can still see the San Jose Event Center awash in green and black jerseys He can hear the sound of chants and rallies bouncing off the dimly lit gym loud enough to wake the San Jose State students in neighboring Washburn Hall It was here where Watson knew he could snag a decent bag of popcorn and what he recalls as the best white wine in the Bay The feeling of the crowd creating a life of its own still gives the San Jose native chills when he harkens back to the times he was a season ticket holder for the San Jose Lasers a short-lived but beloved franchise in the pioneering American Basketball League There were constantly sizable enthusiastic crowds back in the day Watson recalled of the Lasers games he used to attend I remember the crowd used to give awards to who were the rowdiest fans in their sections They really caught your attention Sitting courtside Watson couldn t help but notice a young owner named Joe Lacob bouncing out of his seat living and dying with every possession Nearly years after owning the San Jose Lasers Lacob is returning women s professional basketball to San Jose On Wednesday the Valkyries will play their first-ever home playoff competition in San Jose hosting the Minnesota Lynx for Meeting of the first round at SAP Center just a sparse miles from where the Lasers once called home For Lacob it s more than just a venue change forced by the Laver Cup tennis tournament taking over Chase Center this week It s a chance to trace a straight line back to his beginnings in women s basketball San Jose Lasers forward Sheri Sam drives around Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil of Long Beach during a contest on Feb Aric Crabb Bay Area News Group It s definitely a huge full-circle moment for me Lacob informed this news organization in a new interview I think in San Jose even years ago there was an appetite for women s basketball It was not the first choice because our fans deserve to have a home playoff event but I don t think it is a bad second choice and I think it ll be good for the maturation of our overall fan base I think for several fans in the San Jose area this will be a unique treat The Lasers were one of eight teams in the ABL a professional women s basketball league that launched in a year before the WNBA tipped off Playing their home games at the San Jose State Event Center the Lasers hastily built a loyal fan base in the South Bay The Lasers were led by former Stanford stars like Jennifer Azzi and Sonja Henning who gave the Lasers instant credibility and star power in the Bay Area and later featured players such as Olympian Kedra Holland-Corn The ABL prided itself on paying higher wages and delivering better playing conditions to players but struggled financially and eventually folded in as the rise of the WNBA dominated the women s pro basketball territory San Jose Lasers center Clarisse Machanguana jokes with teammate Sheri Sam background Wednesday during practice at the San Jose Event Center Jim Ketsdever Bay Area News Group Despite the abrupt ending the Lasers left their mark They offered one of the first professional basketball stages for women in the U S and their fan base including season ticket holders like Watson carried lasting memories of those nights in San Jose Since the unit didn t have a mascot Watson mentioned the fans took the onus to create their own One night he recalled a fan dressing up as a computer mouse and parading from section to section to represent the city s tech personality It was a fun time for all of us really Watson stated The vitality for the Lasers was felt by the band too We had selected of the best crowds in the league commented former Lasers coach Angela Beck I just remember feeling super lucky It was an exciting time for us For Lacob owning the Lasers gave him his first foray into owning a professional sports band even at a small scale According to Lacob the band filled out the -seat arena at San Jose State often and even put on a meager games at SAP Center then called San Jose Arena The Lasers made the playoffs in each of the two full postseasons that the league hosted It was something I did because I ve consistently required to own a basketball unit Lacob stated I wasn t ready for the NBA at that point and I was working in the venture industry but I really longed to do something to show my daughters I cared about girls and women s sports as much as men s sports so that was all part of the motivation why I got involved But even after the crew folded Lacob has made good on his second shot at owning a women s basketball club Lacob paid a then-record million expansion fee in to own the Valkyries Golden State has exceeded all expectations as the expansion gang made the playoffs in its first year and set the record for attendance with consecutive sellouts at Chase Center The scheduling conflict with the Laver Cup created the opportunity for the Valkyries to play in San Jose According to Lacob the only other venue they considered to host this playoff event was Oakland Arena but the former home of the Warriors was booked this week Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase talks to Golden State Valkyries' Temi Fagbenle during their tournament against the Indiana Fever in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco Calif on Sunday Aug Nhat V Meyer Bay Area News Group The South Bay turn is also a homecoming of sorts for Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase who played in another fledgling women s hoops league the National Women s Basketball League for the San Jose Spiders in Nakase the favorite to be named the WNBA s coach of the year in her first season as a head coach isn t sentimental though That was like years ago she reported of her time with the Spiders I don t think about that stuff I m just excited we made the playoffs Wednesday s match will also be a full-circle moment for Lasers fans who have yearned for pro basketball in the South Bay I think it s going to be pretty exciting It s not going to be Chase Center but I think the excitement and those fans who came to root for the Lasers back in the day it will feel like a regular home contest for them Sacramento native and Valkyries season ticket holder Mary Barker explained Related Articles Win or go home Valkyries face monumental Event vs Lynx Valkyries guard Veronica Burton wins WNBA bulk improved award Valkyries Takeaways Natalie Nakase slams functionaries after blowout loss to Lynx in Event Valkyries overpowered by top-seeded Lynx in franchise s first WNBA playoff tournament Unique Valkyries owner Joe Lacob breaks down expansion group s historic first season For Barker the setting is only part of the story What excites her even more is seeing Lacob once again put real guidance behind women s basketball something she s admired since he owned the Lasers nearly years ago I m in fact impressed with his commitment to women s sports Barker stated I just think it s great that he didn t forget about us and reinvested back into women s basketball He saw the vision and he made the Valkyries have an identity that stretches beyond the Bay Area That enduring patronage from fans like Barker is what convinces Lacob that San Jose was never just a stopgap For him the passion that surrounded the Lasers nearly three decades ago has only grown and Wednesday s playoff competition is proof Even back then I recall the tremendous passion of the core fan base for women s basketball in San Jose Lacob commented I think that passion in multiples now shines through But even then it was there with fans at the San Jose Event Center And I remember that I remember how passionate these fans were And I think we are seeing that in you know in even greater numbers now Barker was optimistic that the passion will come through to backing the squad on Wednesday even if the fans are miles south of their usual seats Ballhalla is a people not a place she disclosed Friends Laurisa Armstrong Crystal Narsaiya and Tonika Jones from left root for the Lasers at a new meeting in San Jose Anna Marie Dos Remedios Bay Area News Group