Basketball is a handball game usually played by two teams of five players on the court
Basketball is a handball game usually played by two teams of five players on the court. It is one of the renowned sport in the world. It has evolved a lot in the past years. In the subsequent paragraphs, I will discuss the three various aspects of the game that are Evolution, rules and positions.
Basketball enjoys a long and colorful history. Canadian Dr. James Naismith, a professor of physical education at international YMCA training school invented the game of basketball in 1891. Naismith wrote the basic rules and then nailed a peach basket onto a 20-foot tall pole. Unlike modern basketball hoops, the bottom of the peach-basket was still there, so after a point was scored, somebody had to get the ball out of the basket with a long stick. Over time, people made a hole at the bottom of the basket, so the ball could go through more easily (Graf& Christine,2016). FIBA (International basketball federation) was formed in 1932 by eight nations that are Argentina, Romania, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Latvia, Switzerland and Czechoslovakia. FIBA itself is divided into five regional zones: FIBA Africa (consisting of 54 National Federations), FIBA Americas (consisting of 44 National Federations), FIBA Asia (consisting of 44 National Federations), FIBA Europe (consisting of 50 National Federations), and FIBA Oceania (consisting of 22 National Federations). In 1989, FIBA allowed professional NBA players to participate in the Olympics for the first time. Worldwide, basketball tournaments are held for boys and girls of all age levels. The global popularity of the sport is reflected in the nationalities represented in the NBA. Players from all six inhabited continents currently play in the NBA. Top international players began coming into the NBA in the mid-1990s. Women’s basketball began in 1892 at Smith college and the rules were modified by Senda Berenson. Fascinated by the sport, she organised the first women’s collegiate basketball game on March 21. 1893. From 1895 until 1970, the term “women’s basketball” was also used to refer to netball which evolved in parallel with modern women’s basketball. The popularity of women’s basketball grew steadily around the world for decades. By the 1970s the sport had attracted the notice the International Olympic Committee, which added women’s basketball as an official sport of the Olympic Games in 1976 (Catherine,2015).
The protocols of basketball are the rules and regulations that govern the play, officiating, equipment and procedures of basketball. While many of the basic rules are uniform throughout the world but variations do exist. Most leagues or governing bodies in North America formulate their own rules(Lucica&Dana,2016). Each game is divided into sections. All levels have two halves. In college, each half is twenty minutes long. In high school and below, the halves are divided into eight (and sometimes, six) minute quarters. In the pros, quarters are twelve minutes long. There is a gap of several minutes between halves. Gaps between quarters are relatively short. If the score is tied at the end of regulation, then overtime periods of various lengths are played until a winner emerges. Furthermore, there are also time limits on player in possession of the basketball with four main rules that are 24 second rule, 8 second rule, 5 second rule and 3 second rule. No offensive player can be in the free-throw lane for longer than 3 seconds at a time. When a ballhandler is being defended within six feet in the frontcourt and fails to get rid of the basketball within five seconds results in five second violation of rule. At the beginning of a game, the game clock starts when the ball is legally tapped by a player. The shot clock does not start until a player has gained control of the ball. Once a player has gained control, his team has 24 seconds to get a shot off. The Eight seconds rule in basketball means that once a team has achieved position of the ball in its own half-court it must cross the half-court line within eight seconds or turn-over the ball to the other team. Moving further, when contact is made on an opponent when they are attempting to release the ball is the illegal use of hand. It could also be when a player is reaching in the defender’s body or arms to steal the ball, or when a player wraps his/her arms around the opponent (Cosmol,2015).
Traditionally, the three basketball positions normally employed by organized basketball teams were the guards, forwards, and the center. While these position names are still used, most modern teams use a point guard, two wings, and two post players. Each position can be thought of as a role, although these roles can be a hybrid when each player is required to play two or more positions at one time. This is due to the nature of the sport where players move around the court and play flexibly, doing what is needed in a given situation(Berger,2017) . The centre is generally the tallest player who is positioned near the basket as he must be able to get up as high as possible for rebounds. He is also required to be more physically domineering with more physical strength and overall athleticism. In addition, the centre’s goal is to get open for a pass and to shoot. They are required to block defenders, and to open other players up for driving to the basket for a goal. Centres are expected to get some offensive rebounds and put-backs. On defense, the centre’s main responsibility is to keep opponents from shooting by blocking shots and passes in the key area. They also are expected to get more rebounds because they’re taller. Moving further, the point guard needs to be the best ball handler, dribbler and passer as he handles the ball the most out of all the players on the team. He needs to bring the ball down the court and initiate offensive plays. It can also be the shortest player on the team as they use their intelligence and court vision to coordinate all his teammates on offense. Point guards need to have a good long-distance shooting, though it’s not quite as crucial as for shooting guards. However, some point guards take as many shots as shooting guards (James,2016).
Hence, basketball has a great background and there are some fundamentals and positions which one has to give attention in order to win the game. It has seen many rule changes, because of the increasing ability of the players. It is a melting pot, where black, white, and European people excel. This is a sport that is color-blind.
References
Catherine, C. T. (2015). Origin of basketball. Journal Of Sports, 16(4), 468- 473.
Cosmol, C. C. (2015). Basketball. Encyclopedia Britannica.
Berger, A. B. (2017). Important positions in basketball. Boston, MA: Longman.
Singapore Sports Council. (2017). Basketball. Retrieved from https://www.myactivesg.com/sports/basketball/how-to-play/basketball- rules/basketball-positions-and-roles
