Basketball

Basketball

Chapter

14

Basketball courts

The playing area is a rectangular court (see fi gure 1 Basketball courts), which is 28 meters long and 15 me- ters wide. (Older gyms have slightly smaller courts: 26 m × 14 m). Each extremity has a basket, which is placed in the middle of the width. Baskets are made of iron; they are 60 cm in dia- meter, and have a net to keep the ball from falling out immediately.

Basket is fi xed at a height of 3,05 m and are attached to a backboard.

Backboards are 180 cm wide and 120 cm high.

There are special lines on a basketball court:

a line that divides the court in half (attack and defense), called the center line; in the middle of the center line there is a circle that has a diameter of 3,60 meters;

2 semicircles that are 6,75 m from each basket; these semicircles are cal- led three throw line;

2 rectangular areas, called 3 secon- ds area;

2 semicircles (called no break down area) with a diameter of 2,50 meters;

PicturenetCorp - Fotolia

1,8 m

basket height 3,05 m 6,75 m 26 - 28

14 - 15

5,80 m 4,80 m

40 - 90

Fig. 1 Basketball courts

During the winter of 1891, Professor James Naismith noticed how bored his students were while using the equipment in the gym; they were waiting for when the weather would be nice enough for them to play baseball, football and have track and fi eld meets outdoors.

So, he decided to invent some kind of indoor game. Inspiration arrived when he crumpled a piece of paper into a ball and tossed it into the wastepaper basket: a game, using the hands where the aim was to get the ball to go into a basket placed at a certain height.

He got two empty bushels used for fruit, placed them in the spectators’ area of the gym and established the basic rules of his new sport:

– no walking or running while holding the ball – no touching rival players

Finally, he wrote the fi rst simple rules. Basketball was born!

The game was a great success and quickly spread all over the world.

The fi rst European Champship was held in 1925; Latvia won. Basketball became an offi cial olympic sport for the fi rst time during the Berlin

Olympic games in 1936. The fi rst World Championship was held in Argentina; the hosting team beat the US team while 25000 spectators watched. The fi rst Italian Basketball Championship was held in 1920; it was won by the milanese club “SEF Costanza”. The fi rst Italian Feminine Basketball Championship was held in 1930; a team from Trieste, “Ginnastica Triestina” won.

During the winter of 1891, Professor James Naismith noticed how bored his students were while using the equipment in the gym; they were waiting for when the weather would be nice enough for them to play baseball, football and have track and fi eld meets outdoors.

So, he decided to invent some kind of indoor game. Inspiration arrived when he crumpled a piece of paper into a ball and tossed it into the wastepaper basket: a game, using the hands where the aim was to get the ball to go into a basket placed at a certain height.

He got two empty bushels used for fruit, placed them in the spectators’ area of the gym and established the basic rules of his new sport:

– no walking or running while holding the ball – no touching rival players

Finally, he wrote the fi rst simple rules. Basketball was born!

The game was a great success and quickly spread all over the world.

The fi rst European Champship was held in 1925; Latvia won. Basketball became an offi cial olympic sport for the fi rst time during the Berlin

Olympic games in 1936. The fi rst World Championship was held in Argentina; the hosting team beat the US team while 25000 spectators watched. The fi rst Italian Basketball Championship was held in 1920; it was won by the milanese club “SEF Costanza”. The fi rst Italian Feminine Basketball Championship was held in 1930; a team from Trieste, “Ginnastica Triestina” won.

The birth of basketball T

T

General Rules of the Game Teams

Each basketball game is played by two teams of 5 players each. Five other pla- yers sit on the bench and can be called in (or out!) for substitutions at any ti- me during the game.

The aim of the game is for each team to try to get the ball into the rival team’s basket, and to keep the rival team from the getting the ball and scoring points.

How long games last

Games are divided into four quarters of 10 minutes each; between the 1st and 2nd quarters there is a two minute bre- ak; likewise between the 3rd and 4th quarters. Instead, between the 2nd and 3rd quarters there is a 15 minute break.

Each team can ask for additional ti- me out periods: one minute for each of the fi rst 3 quarters, and two minu- tes in the last quarter.

The played game lasts for 40 mi- nutes; each time it is stopped, the ti- mekeeper stops the clock as well.

If the the score is tie at the end of the 40 minutes playing period, there are additional periods of fi ve minutes each, until one team has scored more points. Each team is allowed another time out break during each of the ad- ditional fi ve minute periods.

Scoring

Baskets scored are worth:

2 points if shot from within the 3 point line;

3 points if shot from further away;

1 point if scored with a free throw.

Sanctions for breaking the rules The rival team gets to play the ball from off side; in corrispondence to the place where the foul took place if any of the following rules are broken:

touch the ball when or while it is off side; a player is considered off side when he touches the line of fi eld;

dribble the ball between two han- ds, or stop the ball and dribble it again between two hands (double drib- ble);

take more than 2 steps, without bouncing it (passes);

stand still for more than 3 seconds on the 3 seconds area of rival team’s side;

hold the ball for more than 5 se- conds (5 seconds);

if a team is playing on its own si- de of the court, they must get the ball past the centerline within 8 seconds (8 seconds);

having started a play, the team must shoot a basket within 24 seconds (24 seconds);

if game action has reached the rival team’s half of the court, the ball can’t be returned to the home team’s part (return);

TIMEOUT

Pause of game

touch the ball as it is going into the basket. If a player does so, the rival te- am gets 2 or 3 points, depending on where the ball was shot from (inter- ference).

Fouls are usually assigned when a pla- yer touches a rival teammate, or for unsporty behavior. They are often sanctoned with free shots. Usually the following kind of behavior is conside- red foul:

personal foul: block, hold, push, charge, trip or keep a rival teammate from moving by body-blocking;

unsportybehaviour foul: play rec- klessly, or purposely break a rule;

technicalfoul: treat the referee or a rival teammate in a unsporty way.

Any player that commits 5 fouls must leave the court and can’t return for the rest of the game.

If a personal foul was done against a rival teammate who wasn’t shooting a basket, a throw in from off side is as- signed. If the rival teammate was sho- oting a basket, and manages to score, the point is given, and he’s also assig- ned a free shot. If the rival teammate doesn’t score, he’s assigned two or th- ree free shots, depending on whether the basket would have been worth two or three points.

A bonus is assigned when 4 fouls have been committed by the same te- am; if another foul is committed, the rival team will have free shots assig- ned.

Refereeing

Offi cial games are directed by 2 refe- rees; a jury, 1 timekeeper, 1 keeper of the 24 second clock, and a scorekee- per help the referees:

1 the two referees whistle when the- re are infractions and fouls;

2 the timekeeper keeps track of ga- me time and stops and starts the game clock;

3 the keeper of the 24 second clock lets players know how much time they have left to complete a game play;

4 the scorekeepter keeps track of: the score for each team; how many points each player has scored; how many fouls each player has done.

Referees use certain gestures and signs so that players and spectarors know

what he’s communicating:

(see fi gure 2).

Fig. 2 Abc’s of the referee

Illegal dribbling Substitution Time out Unsportsmanlike foul

3 seconds violation Pass Break through

To designate offender Personal foul

without free throw

Personal foul with free throw

Basic Techniques Change direction

To get rid of a rival defenser, players often suddenly change the direction where they’re running, or how they’re handling the ball (see fi gure 3 Chan- ge direction):

put bodyweight on the foot that is in front and fl ex torso;

push hard with the inner part of the front foot;

turn torso and take a long step with the back leg in the direction you want to go;

if dribbling the ball, change the hand doing so.

Fig. 3 Change direction

Stop

A stop is a complete stop while run- ning, or while dribbling or after recei- ving the ball, and is often followed by a shot or an assist; it can be done in ¹ one or ² two steps.

1 One Step Stop

A player jumps, lands on both feet and grabs the ball with both hands.

ASSIST

Passing the ball to a teammate who then tryies to shoot a basket

Fig. 4 Stop Fig. 5 Chest Pass 2 Two step stop:

place one foot fi rmly on the court and grab the ball;

put the other foot down and co- me to a complete stop.

When a player has completely stop- ped, he can move one foot freely, but not the other one, called the pivot fo- ot; when you do a one step stop the pivot foot can be either one, but in a two step stop the pivot must be the foot that fi rst touched the court (see fi gure 4 Stop).

Passing

Passing is throwing the ball from one player to another and is used to get to the teammate who most likely can shoot a basket. Passes must be quick and precise so that the receiving te-

ammate gets the ball easily. There are diff erent kinds of passes, use depends on how far the teammate is, and whe- re the rival players are.

1 Chest pass:

stand in the base position (legs slightly bent, torso straight and slight- ly fl exed, hands on the ball), throw the ball to the receiving teammate at chest level (fi gure 5 Chest Pass);

one can lean on either leg to rein- force throws.

2 Pass bounced on the court: used to keep a rival player from intercepting the ball (fi gure 6 Pass bounced on the court):

throw the ball towards the fl o- or using base position so that when it bounces it is at teammate’s chest level.

Fig. 6 Pass bounced on the court

Fig. 7 Baseball pass Fig. 8 Dribbling

3 Over the Head Pass: used to keep rival teammates from getting the ball from above:

bring ball above the head;

throw it to a teammate, bypassing rival player.

4 Baseball pass: used to make passes from further distances (see fi gure 7):

bring the ball back, at eye level;

bring forward the foot opposite of the hand holding the ball;

throw the ball forward, helping with bodyweight.

Dribbling

Dribbling is pushing the ball towards the ground so it bounces back up, and is used to run on the court while kee- ping possession of the ball.

It’s important to be able to do this naturally and with ease, while keeping an eye on the court and where the other players are (see fi gure 8):

using base position bring arm down at the side of the body, pushing ball with fi ngers;

repeat this action with the ball as quickly as possibile.

Fig. 9 A shot while stopped

1 Low Dribbling: keep the ball at knee height to prevent rival players from interfering.

2 High Dribbling: used when the- re are no rival players nearby; the ball must never go higher than the hip.

Shooting

A shot towards the basket is funda- mental, and is a gratifying moment.

1 A shot while stopped (see fi gure 9):

using base position, grab the ball with fi ngertips;

lift the ball sideways to eye-level, with wrist tilted backwards, while the other hand holds the ball on the other side;

extending the arm, push the ball with fi ngers and form a high curve, helping movement along pushing up with feet.

2 Three step shot (see fi gure 10) (pla- yer on right):

after receiving or dribbling the ball, step closer using right foot (step one);

lift left leg (step two), while rai- sing the ball to eye-level;

while jumping, push (step 3) the ball towards the basket, using a whip- ping fl ick of the wrist before foot tou- ches the ground.

Fig. 10 Three step shot

Fig. 11 Player lineup

Team Basics Defense

Man to man defense

Every player keeps an eye on a rival te- ammate with similar physical charac- teristics. The defender must always be between the basket and rival teamma- te, trying to interviene to intercept the balls that are shot towards the basket.

Zone Defense

Every player must keep an eye on a specifi c part of the court, interve- ning when rival players enter that zone.

Zone defense goes hand in hand with player lineup (see fi gure 11); the most common are 2-1-2; 2-3; 3-2.

PLAYINGSTRATEGIES ANDPLAYERLINEUP Places taken on the court, in accordance with other players

Defense 2-3

Defense 2-1-2 Defense 3-2

Fig. 13 Give and Go

Fig. 14 Pick and Roll Fig. 12 Block

Mixed defense

These are used mostly to bother rival attackers and keep them from using their attack tactics.

Attack

Block (see fi gure 12)

When an attacker stops on the court allowing a teammate who has the ball to pass and, at least temporarily, get rid of rival defenders.

Give and Go (see fi gure 13)

The attacker passes the ball to a team- mate in front of him; then cuts towards the basket, gets the ball and shoots.

Pick and Roll (see fi gure 14)

The attacker passes the ball to a team- mate, and goes behind the receiving teammate, who re-passes the ball and blocks rival defender, allowing the at- tacker to go towards the basket.

Back Door

(Attack against defense zone) The play maker dribbles the ball to- wards the rival team’s free throw line, which his teammates surround; the play maker signals which play (usual- ly using agreed upon sign language) they are going to use, and the ball is passed from teammate to teammate, causing rival attackers to continuously change position, creating empty spa- ces to shoot baskets.

A

A¹ B

A A¹

B

A²

Fig. 15 Basic roles

Offense against man to man defense

Because all attackers (including the play maker) are guarded by rival de-

fenders, attackers must try to get free by faking changes in speed, and use all of his technical know-how to pass or shoot the ball.

Roles and Positions

There are 3 basic roles (see fi gure 15):

1 guards (play maker and second guards) ² wings ³ pivot or center.

1 Play maker. One of the two guards in charge of keeping the ball and deci- ding on attack. Must be great at drib- bling, and have a good view of the ga- me, in order to decide which play tac- tic is best to use.

Second guard. Works together with the play maker on attack; must be

CUT Player movement across the free throw lane PLAYMAKER (IN ENGLISH) The person who makes plays: player who decides offense tactics

TEAMPASSES Quickly passing the ball from teammate to teammate

fast, good at defense and good at sho- oting.

2 Wings. Are at either side of the backboard; must be a good shot from that position and be able to grab the ball as it bounces out of the net.

3 Pivot (or center). Usually the tallest member of the team, plays near the hoop, must be good at rebounding with the ball and shooting from short distances from the basket.

Pivot

Wing Wing

Guard

Play maker

3-on-3 basketball

In recent years, particularly in scho- ols, a new sport is emerging: 3-on-3 basketball. This newer kind of basket- ball began on streets and in parks; in fact, any place with enough room for a hoop just for a few shots. This ne- wer form requires fewer player and has simpler rules.

Thanks to Dino Meneghin’s en- thusiasm, a national championship for 3-on-3 basketball for males and fema- les for middle and high schools was organized in Italy. (The Board of Edu- cation sponsered the event). Every ye- ar more and more schools take part.

3-on-3 basketball’s success is pro- bably due to the ease of the game, and its two basic rules: have fun and good sportsmanship. Good sports- manship avoids wasting time, and players must call their own fouls. As Meneghin himself says “odds and evens for the ball, dribble, pass, stop and shoot.”

General rules of the game

1 There are 4 categories of players:

male and female middle school te- ams, and male and female high scho- ol teams.

2 Every team has 4 players; 3 on court, one on the bench for substitu- tions; each player must use equipment and uniforms provided by the organi- zers.

3 Games are referred by a teacher or some other authority (called control- lers); there is only one basket, and one half court, so two games are played si- multaneously (hoops and balls must be of offi cial size).

4 There are no referees. The con- trollers keep track of the score and ga- me time; they step in only in case of disagreements.

5 Possession of the ball is decided by drawing; action starts at the 3 point line, or other agreed upon spot.

6 Whenever a shot is scored, the ball passes to the other team; free shots are worth one point.

7 Whenever the ball passes to the other team (defensive rebound, inter- ception), the game goes on at the 3 point line.

8 Before a shot can be scored, the ball must be touched by at least two at- tackers, to allow the defenders to li- ne up. If this rule is broken, any points scored will be annulled, and the rival team gets the ball.

9 Before the game continues (after a basket or infringement), the ball must.

10 The winner is the team that gets 33 points fi rst, or whichever has a hi- gher score after 10 minutes of play.

11 If there is a tie after 10 minutes, each player on the court gets a free throw. The winning team will be the one that gets more baskets. If there is still a tie, this will go on (like in soc- cer), using a teammate of choice.

12 There is no limit to how many times a player can be substituted during a game. Substitutions can take place after a basket, or if the game has been stopped. The 3 second and 24 second rules do not exist.

13 Fouls are called only be the player against whom it is done.

14 After each foul, even for throw, the game re-starts at the agreed upon spot.

15 If a foul happens while the other team scores, there is an additional free throw, and the ball passes to the team that committed the foul.

16 If a team commits fouls, the pla- yer against whom the foul was com- mitted gets a free throw, and that pla- yer’s team keeps the ball.

17 If there is an unsportsmanship foul, or a technical foul, two free throws get assigned, and the ball remains to the rival team. Any player who com- mits two intentional fouls is expelled from the game.

18 Each team gets a 30 second time out per game.

19 If a team refuses to try to shoot a basket, they get warned by the con- troller, and if this continues, a techni- cal foul gets assigned to the team.

20 During national fi nals, each team is allotted a maximum of 14 seconds du- ring which they must make a basket.

21 During national tournaments in Italy, if two teams are tie, the following crite- ria are used to decide which team go- es to the next level: 1) direct clashes; 2) percentage of baskets as to direct clashes;

3) percentage of baskets in all games; 4) higher scores; 5) younger players.

22 Anything not specifi ed above can be found in FIP rules.

1 Describe basketball courts.

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2 How did basketball begin?

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3 How are teams made up?

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4 How long do games last?

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5 How many points are baskets worth?

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6 Describe infringements and how referees signal them.

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7 Describe player fouls and how referees signal them.

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8 How are games referred?

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9 Describe the basic techniques.

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10 List and describe different defensive tactics.

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11 List and describe different attack tactics.

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12 What are the different positions players play?

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13 Why is 3-on-3 basketball considered a new way of playing basketball?

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14 What is the role of the controller in 3-on-3 basketball?

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15 Who has to call a foul in 3-on-3 basketball?

Answer the following questions