About
Berkeley Ohtani Basketball is a church-sponsored community basketball program that includes practices, league games, post season tournaments, Mochitsuki, the Annual Ohtani Jamboree, and the Ohtani Summer Bazaar. Players participate in basketball activities in divisions organized by grade level, including B-boys (grade 10–12), C-boys and C-girls (grade 7–9), D-boys and D-girls (grade 4–6), and E-boys and E-girls (grade K–4), with an EE instructional division for kindergarteners that does not include league games but may enter tournaments.
• Ages: 5–17 years old
• Schedule: Practices begin in September and are generally held on Friday nights, with league games running December through February on Saturday evenings and/or Sunday afternoons; major events include Mochitsuki on Sunday, December 14, 2025, the Annual Ohtani Jamboree on Sunday, February 22, 2026, and the Ohtani Summer Bazaar on Sunday, July 26, 2026.
• Price: Each player must submit a $350 participation deposit check dated for the next year to ensure compliance with volunteer requirements.
The Berkeley Ohtani Basketball program is sponsored by Berkeley Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple, and its activities are closely linked to the Temple community. The mission of the program is to support youth and teach the values of the organization, which include the importance of family, education, and good moral character, while providing a place for players to develop individual skills and promoting good sportsmanship, teamwork, and fair play. Ohtani Basketball families are expected to complete a family job for the season, with families who have only an EE player exempt from this requirement, and each family is expected to volunteer at three events per season: Mochitsuki, the Annual Ohtani Jamboree, and the Ohtani Summer Bazaar. Participation in these major fundraisers is required to keep registration fees reasonable and to give Temple and Basketball families shared activities focused on supporting the Temple and the basketball program.
As a recreational basketball organization, Ohtani recommends that all coaches provide minimum playing time for every player in every game, and every child is encouraged to do their best and to help their teammates do their best. Families are encouraged to support their children as they work to improve their basketball skills and to respect and appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of their teammates and the teams they play against. The program follows CPDH and local health departments’ guidelines. Only basketball shoes with non-marking soles are allowed on the courts, parents are allowed in the gym and may stay during practices, parents are asked to pick up players inside the gym, players must stay with the coaching staff until they are released to a parent or guardian, and no food is allowed in the gym.
Last updated March 16, 2026.
• Ages: 5–17 years old
• Schedule: Practices begin in September and are generally held on Friday nights, with league games running December through February on Saturday evenings and/or Sunday afternoons; major events include Mochitsuki on Sunday, December 14, 2025, the Annual Ohtani Jamboree on Sunday, February 22, 2026, and the Ohtani Summer Bazaar on Sunday, July 26, 2026.
• Price: Each player must submit a $350 participation deposit check dated for the next year to ensure compliance with volunteer requirements.
The Berkeley Ohtani Basketball program is sponsored by Berkeley Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple, and its activities are closely linked to the Temple community. The mission of the program is to support youth and teach the values of the organization, which include the importance of family, education, and good moral character, while providing a place for players to develop individual skills and promoting good sportsmanship, teamwork, and fair play. Ohtani Basketball families are expected to complete a family job for the season, with families who have only an EE player exempt from this requirement, and each family is expected to volunteer at three events per season: Mochitsuki, the Annual Ohtani Jamboree, and the Ohtani Summer Bazaar. Participation in these major fundraisers is required to keep registration fees reasonable and to give Temple and Basketball families shared activities focused on supporting the Temple and the basketball program.
As a recreational basketball organization, Ohtani recommends that all coaches provide minimum playing time for every player in every game, and every child is encouraged to do their best and to help their teammates do their best. Families are encouraged to support their children as they work to improve their basketball skills and to respect and appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of their teammates and the teams they play against. The program follows CPDH and local health departments’ guidelines. Only basketball shoes with non-marking soles are allowed on the courts, parents are allowed in the gym and may stay during practices, parents are asked to pick up players inside the gym, players must stay with the coaching staff until they are released to a parent or guardian, and no food is allowed in the gym.
Last updated March 16, 2026.
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