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 always sizable, enthusiastic crowds back in the day,” Watson recalled of the Lasers games he used to attend. “I remember