Vanessa Hua, Chronicle Staff Writer

Monday, April 10, 2006 -- Brandon Valdez is 17, lean and fast, and loves basketball. Problem is, he's only 5-foot-3 -- and he probably won't grow much taller.

Valdez missed the cut for the team at Lowell High School in San Francisco. So, two years ago, the Filipino American joined the Bay Area Asian Sports Dragons, an all-Asian basketball team in a league with players of similar height and strength.

"This gives us a chance to play," Valdez said after his team won a recent game in an all-Asian league. "I'm a better player than I used to be. I've learned a lot."

The Ohtani Basketball program hosted its annual tournament on Sunday, February 25, 2007 for the E and D Divisions. Congratulations to the Ohtani D-gold Girls, Ohtani D-silver Girls, and the Ohtani E-silver teams for winning their divisions. For more results, please visit the Jamboree page.

We would like to thank all the volunteers, sponsors, referees, and participating teams for helping make this year’s tournament a success.