BASKETBALL

History
The game of basketball as we know it today was created by Dr. James Naismith in
December 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts to condition young athletes during cold
months. It consisted of peach baskets and a soccer style ball.
Naismith was born in 1861 in Ramsay township, Ontario, Canada. He graduated as a
physician at McGill University in Montreal and was primarily interested in sports
physiology.
In 1891, while working as a physical education teacher at the YMCA International Training
School (today, Springfield College) in the United States, Naismith was faced with the
problem of finding in 14 days an indoor game to provide "athletic distraction" for the
students at the School for Christian Workers (Naismith was also a Presbyterian minister).
After discarding the idea of adapting outdoor games like soccer and lacrosse, Naismith
recalled the concept of a game of his school days known as duck-on-a-rock that involved
accuracy attempting to knock a "duck" off the top of a large rock by tossing another rock at
it.
Starting from there, Naismith developed a set of 13 rules that gave origin to the game of
basketball.
Of course it was not exactly as we know it today. The first game was played with a soccer
ball and two peach baskets nailed 10-feet high used as goals, on a court just half the size of
a present-day court. The baskets retained their bottoms so balls scored into the basket had
to be poked out with a long dowel each time and dribbling (bouncing of the ball up and
down while moving) was not part of the original game.
The sport was an instant success and thanks to the initial impulse received by the YMCA
movement, basketball's popularity quickly grew nationwide and was introduced in many
nations. Although Naismith never saw the game develop into the spectacular game we
know these days, he had the honor to witness basketball become an Olympic sport at
the 1936 Games held in Berlin.

Facilities and Equipment

The Ball
A standard ball has to be spherical and is usually made of rubber or plastic, but leather
ones are permitted. The diameter must be between 749mm and 780mm and the weight
between 567g and 650 g.
The way the ball bounces is important and you can check how much to inflate it by
measuring the bounce – regulation specify that when the ball is dropped from a height of
1.8 meter, it should rebound 1.8 m.
The Backboard and Basket
The basket consist of rim, net and backboard support. The rim is a metal hoop 45cm in
diameter and not more than 20mm thick. The rim is attached to a metal plate shaped like
an upside down L that is bolted to the backboard so that it is parallel to the floor and 3.05m
above it. Backboards are made of clear fiberglass or metal. A cotton or synthetic net is
attached to the rim and has a hole in the bottom large enough for the ball to drop through.

The Court

The size of the court depends on the playing level. The size of the court for NBA and College
games is 94 feet long and 50 feet wide. It is smaller for High School and Junior High.
Basketball, both indoor and outdoor, is played on a hard surface international events are
usually played indoors on a wooden floor. A regulation basketball court measures 28m
long and 15 meter wide.

The Team
A basketball team consists of 12 players but only five are allowed on the court at anytime.
The players are divided into three categories—centers, forwards and guards.

Centers
The centers play close to the basket and often the tallest members of the team. A good
center can dominate a game by scoring baskets and blocking the opponents attempts at the
basket.

Forwards
Forwards spend much of their time playing on each side of the restricted areas marked
under the baskets. They have to be fast and accurate passers, as well as good shooters.
They should also be good rebounders.

Guards
The guards are usually the shorter members of the team, but they have to be very quick.
Their job is to dribble and pass rapidly to set up attacks. They must also be good
opportunists, able to score by shooting from a distance.

Team Play
The way which the guards, forwards and centers are organized in a team will depend upon
the skills of the players and strengths and weaknesses of the opposition. Two commonly
employed formations are 2 guards, 1 center, 2 forwards or 1 guard, 2 centers and 2
forwards.

Substitution
Any player on the court can be replaced by a substitute. When the coach decides to do this,
he tells the substitute, who has to make a request to the scorer while the game proceeds.
The exchange is made when the ball is out of play and the game clock is stopped. There is
no limit the number of players who may be substituted at one time or to the number of
times a player may act as a substitute.