Basketball

BASKETBALL is a fast, exciting and entertaining sport played between two teams, each consisting of five players. A team wins games by scoring more points than the opposing team. Players score by shooting a large inflated ball into a raised goal, called a basket, at one end of a basketball court. A player can advance the ball toward the basket only by dribbling (bouncing the ball) or by passing the ball to a team-mate. Each team also tries to prevent the other team from scoring. Basketball was invented in the United States in 1991. By the mid-1900's, it had become the world's most popular indoor sport. Today, millions of fans crowd into gymnasiums and arenas to watch their favourite teams. Millions more watch games on television. Basketball is a popular form of recreation as well as an organized team sport. As few as two players can play; all they need is a ball, a basket, and a level surface. Basketball requires TEAMWORK, QUICK REACTIONS, AND ENDURANCE. Tall players have an advantage because they can reach closer to the basket or above other players to shoot and retrieve the ball on the rebound. But smaller players also make contributions to their teams as shooters and ball handlers.

Basketball Is a fast-paced sport that requires teamwork, speed, and endurance.

Diagrams of a court and backboards. A basketball court is a rectangle divided into halves by a centre line. Other lines further divide the court into sections. A backboard and basket hang over each end.

Defensive strategies include the zone defence and the man-to-man defence. The zone defence is designed to give each defending player a certain area of the court to guard. In a man-to- man defence, defending players are assigned specific opponents and follow them in the forecourt.

Attacking strategies are often designed to create a good shot for a particular player.

Dribbling is an important attacking skill. A good dribbler can move past a defender for an easy shot or set up a team-mate for a shot A team's guards generally do most of the dribbling.

A jump ball starts a basketball game. The referee tosses the ball into the air. A player from each team jumps inside the cen­tre circle and tries to tap the ball to a team-mate.

Officials' signals Officials use a variety of hand signals to inform players and spectators of fouls and violations. Any official on the court can call a foul or violation and give the signal.

The jump shot is the most common shot. The shooter jumps straight up and releases the ball at the peak of the jump. The shot can be released quickly and is difficult to block.

The dunk is one of basketball's most exciting shots. The shooter slams the ball through the basket from above. Many dunks are unguarded shots that come at the end of a fast break.

Rebounds occur after missed field goal attempts and most missed free throws. Players try to capture rebounds by position­ing themselves close to the basket with opponents behind them.

A free throw is shot from behind a line in the free throw circle. Players from both teams line up along the free throw lane. They cannot step into the lane until the shooter releases the ball.

How to play basketball

The court. A regulation basketball court measures 28 metres long and 15 metres wide. The length may differ by up to 2 metres and the width by up to 1 metre, but the relative proportions must be maintained. Most courts are made of wood. Various lines, 5 centimetres wide, divide the court into sections. For the names of these lines and the sizes and names of the sections, see the diagram of a court in this article.

A basket and a backboard hang over each end of the court Each backboard must be 120 centimetres inside the end line. The basket consists of a rim, net, and back­board support The rim is a metal hoop 45 centimetres in diameter and not more than 20 millimetres thick. The rim is attached to a metal plate shaped like an upside- down L that is bolted to the backboard so it is parallel to the floor and 3.05 metres above it Backboards are made of clear fibreglass or metal. The cotton or synthetic fab­ric net is attached to the rim and has a hole in the bot­tom large enough for the ball to drop through.

Equipment. Basketball is played with a round brown or orange inflated leather ball. A standard basketball weighs between 600 and 650 grams and is between 75 and 78 centimetres in circumference.

The players. The five players on a team play both at­tack and defence. When their team has the ball, they are attacking; when their opponents have the ball, they are defending. Because possession of the ball can change rapidly, all players must be alert so that they can quickly switch between attack and defence.

Normally, a team consists of two guards, two for­wards, and a centre. However, players can move any­where on the court at any time, no matter what their po­sition. A team can also vary the positions at any time, for example by playing three guards and two forwards. This section describes the role of each position in attack.

The guards are usually the smallest and quickest players. They normally play farther from the basket than the forwards or centre. Guards should be good dribblers and passers. They direct the attack and start most of the moves. Some teams have a point guard, who has the major ballhandling responsibilities. The other guard is the shooting guard and is often the team's best shooter.

Forwards are generally taller and stronger than guards. Forwards usually play in the area from the end line to the free throw lane. They should be good re- bounders and be able to manoeuvre for shots close to the basket. The centre is usually the team's tallest player and best rebounder. A centre who is a good rebounder and scorer can dominate a game.

The coach is a basketball team's teacher. He or she organizes practice sessions to prepare the team for each game, and selects the players who will start the game. During the game, the coach may substitute players, try­ing to use those players who perform best in certain sit­uations. The coach decides when the team needs a time out (when play stops), and determines tactics.

A coach must analyse the opposing team, determin­ing its strengths and weaknesses. Often an assistant coach will scout (watch) a game involving a forthcoming opponent and report back to the coach on the best strat­egy for playing the team.

The officials consist of a referee, one or two um­pires, one or two scorers, and one or two timekeepers.The referee is in charge of the game. The referee and umpire stay on the court to ensure that the game is played by the rules. They both can call any foul or viola­tion of the rules of the game they see anywhere on the court Usually, one official operates near the attacking team's basket and the other near the centre line. The of­ficials reverse positions when the teams move to the other end of the court If a second umpire is used, he or she stands near a sideline. To penalize a player, the offjcial blows a whistle to stop play and the clock. The 0fficial explains the violation or foul, usually with a hand or arm signal, and enforces the penalty. The game then resumes.

The scorers and timekeepers sit at a table behind one of the sidelines. One scorer operates the electronic scoreboard. The other scorer keeps the official score sheet, recording all the field goals, free throws, fouls, and time outs. One timekeeper operates the electric name clock. A second one operates the shot clock if the rules call for each team to shoot within a given time limit Players entering the game must first report to the scorer in charge of the score sheet The timekeeper must stop the clock every time the referee or umpire blows the whistle. One of the officials will signal the timekeeper when to restart the clock.

Playing time. A game lasts for 40 minutes. It is di­vided into two 20-minute halves, with a halftime interval of 10 or 15 minutes. However, a game cannot end in a tie. Should the score be tied at the end of 40 minutes, an extra period of 5 minutes is played, plus as many addi­tional 5-minute periods as may be needed to break the tie.

Scoring. A team scores points by shooting field goals and free throws. A field goal is usually worth 2 points and may be attempted from anywhere on the floor by any attacking player while the game clock is running. In some basketball rules long-range field goals are awarded 3 points. A free throw is worth 1 point and is taken as a penalty after certain fouls. A player attempts a free throw from behind the free throw line and inside the free throw circle. Players have 5 seconds to shoot after the official hands them the ball.

Playing the game. A game starts with the centre jump. Four players from each team stand outside the centre circle. The fifth players, usually the centres, stand inside the centre circle. The official tosses the ball into the air above the latter two players, who jump up and try to tap it to a team-mate. The game clock starts as soon as a player touches the ball.

Once it gains possession of the ball, the attacking team advances the ball into the front court The team can dribble the ball or pass it If the attacking team

scores, the opposing team immediately takes the ball out-of-bounds from behind the end line and tries to move the ball to the basket at the other end of the court. It then becomes the attacking team and the team that just scored becomes the defending team. Action contin­ues in this manner until the clock is stopped.

If a player misses a shot, both teams try to gain pos­session of the ball by catching the rebound. All missed field goal attempts and most missed free throw attempts

result in rebounds. Rebounding is a vital part of the game. Most teams miss at least half their shots. There­fore, a strong rebounding team can control the ball more and has more scoring opportunities.

Attacking strategies try to free a player so that the player may have an opportunity to score. This may in­volve a number of passes and constant movement by all I five players. Such strategy is intended to produce a good shot or cause a defender to commit a foul. An at­tacking player may free a team-mate for a shot by legally 1 blocking a defensive player with his or her body so that the defensive player cannot guard the player with the ball. That player can then take an open shot.

The fast break is designed to score quickly after the attacking team gains possession of the ball. The attack­ing team tries to get at least one of its players ahead of the defending team for an easy shot before the defend­ers can move into proper position.

The delay is an attacking strategy that is primarily de­signed to use up time, rather than to score. Teams often use a delay to protect a lead late in the game, passing and dribbling to keep the ball away from the other team. However, the attacking team must shoot within a certain time. Otherwise, the defending team will be awarded the ball.

Defensive strategies. There are two types of team defence, zone and man-to-man. In a zone defence, each player is assigned a particular area of the front court to defend. In man-to-man defence, each player guards a particular attacking player on all parts of the court

Fouls are called by officials. Players may commit ei­ther a personal foul or a technical foul.

The more common type of foul is the personal foul. Most personal fouls occur when a player holds, pushes, or charges into an opponent, or hits the arm or body of an opponent who is in the act of shooting. A player fouled in the act of shooting is allowed free throws, the number depending on the type of foul. A technical foul may be called on any player or coach for unsportsman­like conduct towards an official.

International basketball

Basketball has become a popular amateur and profes­sional sport throughout the world. Both men's and women's basketball are sports in the Summer Olympic Games.

Basketball in the United States is played at thou­sands of primary schools, secondary schools, colleges, and universities, which sponsor amateur teams for male and female players.

The finest male players compete as professionals in a league organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA), which has 25 teams. A second professional league, the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), fields mostly former college (university-level! stars hop­ing for a chance to play in the NBA.

Most U.S. colleges and universities belong to the Na­tional Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The NCAA has about 750 men's teams and 550 women's teams. About 500 other teams, from small colleges, belong to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

More secondary schools in the United States partici­pate in basketball than in any other sport About 17,000 secondary schools sponsor boys'teams and about 16,500 sponsor girls' teams.

During the 1970's and 1980's college basketball greatly increased in popularity in the United States.

Much of this popularity came from the frequent re­gional and national televising of games. But professional basketball suffered from economic problems, caused largely by high player salaries and low attendance in some cities. Interest in women's basketball also in­creased and it became an Olympic sport in 1976.

Basketball in the British Isles has been played since the 1920s, when it was introduced from the United States.

The chief governing body for the sport is the English Basket Ball Association (EBBA). Ireland, Scotland, and Wales also each have an association. All four associa­tions are represented on the British and Irish Basketball Federation, which coordinates the sport throughout Britain and Ireland. The English Schools Basket Ball

(EMBBA, for players under 12) are affiliated to the EBBA.

National League basketball began in 1972 and by 1989 there were 61 teams competing. During the 197CTs and 1980's an increase in television broadcasts of league matches helped boost basketball's general popularity. Members of groups affiliated to the EBBA number about 20,000. More than 1 million men and women play bas­ketball in the British Isles.

Basketball in Australia and New Zealand is gov­erned by the Australian Basketball Federation, which was formed in 1939, and the New Zealand Basketball Federation, which was formed in 1971. Men's and women's teams from both countries compete every sec­ond year in the Oceania Qualification Series Tourna­ment to decide which country will represent the Oce­ania region in the world championships and the Olympic Games. Australia has won every Oceania Series in both men's and women's events since 1971. There are over 20,000 basketball teams in Australia, and 4,000 teams in New Zealand.

The history of basketball

Beginnings. James Naismith invented basketball in 1891. Naismith was a physical-education instructor at the School for Christian Workers (now Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A. Luther H. Gulick, head of the school's physical-education department, asked Naismith to create a team sport that could be played indoors during the winter.

For his new game, Naismith decided to use a soccer ball because it was large enough to catch easily. He then asked the building superintendent for two boxes to use as goals. The superintendent had no boxes but provided two peach baskets. The baskets were attached to a gym­nasium balcony railing 3 metres above the floor. The first game took place between members of Naismith's physical-education class in December 1891.

After the first experimental game, Naismith drafted the original 13 rules of the game. They were published in 1892. The sport immediately caught on. Soon basket­ball was being played by YMCA teams, secondary school and college teams, and professional teams throughout the United States and Canada.

Outline

How to play basketball

The court

Equipment

The players

The coach

The officials

Playing time

International basketball

The history of basketball

Questions

Who invented basketball?

What is a technical foul?

What is the most important position in the team?

What is the game clock?

How many people play basketball in the British Isles?