HISTORY OF BASKETBALL

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 the cold. It consisted of peach baskets and a soccer style ball. He published 13
rules for the new game. He divided his class of 18 into two teams of nine players each
and set about to teach them the basics of his new game. The objective of the game was
to throw the basketball into the fruit baskets nailed to the lower railing of the gym
balcony. Every time a point was scored, the game was halted so the janitor could bring
out a ladder and retrieve the ball. After a while, the bottoms of the fruit baskets were
removed. The first public basketball game was played in Springfield, Massachusetts, on
March 11, 1892.

The first public game was in Armory Hill YMCA on March 11, 1892, with a crowd
of 200 on hand, as the students beat the teachers 5-1. Amos Alonzo Stagg
scored the only point for the teachers.

The first womens game was March 22, 1893 at Smith College in Northampton,
Massachusetts.

The first college game was Feb. 9, 1895 Minnesota State School of Agriculture
beat Hamline 9-3.

The first womens college game was in April 1895 between Stanford and
California.

The first mens professional league began in 1898 and was known as the
National Basketball Association (but not the same NBA as today).

The

Wisconsin claims to be the first state with a high school state tournament, which
was won by Fond du Lac in 1905.

High school basketball attracted national attention 12 years later in 1917.

Basketball was first played in the Olympic Games in 1936, in Berlin, when the
USA beat Canada 19-8 for the gold medal.

The game was played outdoors, in the mud and rain, on a tennis court.

first

national

AAU

basketball

tournament

was

in

1897.

BASIC RULES OF BASKETBALL

In January 15, 1892, James Naismith published his rules for the game of
"Basket Ball" that he invented: The original game played under these rules was quite
different from the one played today as there was no dribbling, dunking, three-pointers,
or shot clock, and goal tending was legal.

1. The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.
2. The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands.
3. A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on
which he catches it, allowance to be made for a man who catches the ball
when running at a good speed if he tries to stop.
4. The ball must be held in or between the hands; the arms or body must not be
used for holding it.
5. No shouldering, holding, striking, pushing, or tripping in any way of an
opponent. The first infringement of this rule by any person shall count as a
foul; the second shall disqualify him until the next basket is made or, if there
was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole of the game. No
substitution shall be allowed.
6. A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violation of rules three and four and
such described in rule five.
7. If either side makes three consecutive fouls, it shall count a goal for the
opponents (consecutive means without the opponents in the mean time
making a foul).
8. A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the grounds into
the basket and stays there (without falling), providing those defending the
goal do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edges, and the
opponent moves the basket, it shall count as a goal.
9. When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field of play and
played by the first person touching it. In case of dispute the umpire shall throw
it straight into the field. The thrower-in is allowed five seconds. If he holds it
longer, it shall go to the opponent. If any side persists in delaying the game,
the umpire shall call a foul on that side.
10. The umpire shall be the judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify
the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have
power to disqualify people according to Rule 5.
11. The referee shall be judge of the ball and shall decide when the ball is in
play, in bounds, to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He shall
decide when a goal has been made and keep account of the baskets, with
any other duties that are usually performed by a scorekeeper.
12. The time shall be two fifteen-minute halves, with five minutes rest between.
13. The side making the most points in that time is declared the winner.

THE BALL
The original ball was a soccer ball. The official sized ball came in 1894, was an
inflated rubber ball, and sometimes was lopsided. So when you hear the game referred
to
as
"roundball",
remember
that
it
wasnt
always
so.
THE BASKET
Peach and vegetable baskets were used, but it was a nuisance to get out the
stepladder every time someone scored! In 1893, a carpenter designed a wire rim, with a
chicken wire net. It didnt exactly SWISH! Backboards were designed so that fans,
reaching
over
the
railing,
couldnt
deflect
the
shots.
Some believe the origin of the term "cagers" relates back to the old chicken wire
nets. But probably it was because early courts were surrounded by a "cage" of wire
netting to keep the ball out of the stands. Prior to the "cage", the out-of-bounds rule was
basically a free for all... whoever got there first got the ball, so players went diving into
the
stands
and
scuffles
between
players
and
fans
occurred.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS
Originally, 9 players were on each team then 7, and now 5. Dr. Naismith once
said that there could up to 40 on each team, if the floor was big enough!

FOULS
On your second foul, you had to sit down on the bench, with no substitution (sort
of like hockey), until the other team scored a goal, and then you could come back in. On
a flagrant foul, you were disqualified for the rest of the game, with no substitution so
your team might be playing with only 8 instead of 9 players. If your team committed
three
consecutive
fouls,
the
other
team
was
awarded
a
goal.

OUT-OF-BOUND
The 5-second rule was original. If the ref couldnt tell who hit it out last, the ref
would just throw the ball straight out into the court, and whoever got it, got it!
GAME TIMES
Two 15-minute

halves,

running

watch.

Halftime

was

minutes.

THE WINNER
The team with the most goals 1 point per goal. If there was a tie, the captains
on each team could agree to play until another goal was scored (so it was sudden death
or victory).

POSITIONS
Dr. Naismith suggested the 9 players be arranged on the floor as: a goalkeeper,
2 guards, 3 centers, 2 wings and a "home man" (basket hanger) no 3-second rule in
those
days.
ROUGHNESS
Dr. Naismith did not want it to be rough like rugby "The time to stop roughness
is before it begins". He found that after a team committed two consecutive fouls, they
would really be careful not to foul again, since the third foul would give the other team a
goal and not many goals were scored in those days. The jump shot and the fast break
had not yet been invented! Dribbling and ball handling was not as good, with a lopsided
ball.

THE CENTER JUMP

After each basket was made, a center-jump was held at mid-court the other
team didnt automatically get possession. Dr. Naismith was very opposed to the rule
change later that eliminated the center jump. He felt that eliminating the center jump
penalized the team that just scored. The other team could now take the ball and stall
with it for a long time, if they had the lead. The 10-second rule eventually came in to
force teams to advance the ball up the court and speed up the game. Many teams held
the ball for very long periods of time, and the scores were very low.

THE SHOT
For years, the classic shot was a two-handed set shot with both feet on the floor.
In the late 1930's Angelo "Hank" Luisetti (Stanford) developed a one-handed, running
shot which was a big departure from the old two-handed shot. He also shot a shot
wherein he would jump and release the ball on the way up (not at the top of the jump).
Kenny Sailors (Wyoming) is credited by many as being the first with the modern jumpshot. In a game in Madison Square Garden in 1942 (see photo below), he stopped,
squared up, jumped, and shot the one-handed shot while suspended in the air with all
the fundamentals used in today's jump-shot... and fans would say in amazement, "what
was that?!"

TERMINOLOGY

Boxing out a term used to designate a players position under the backboard
that prevents an opposing player from achieving a good rebounding position.
Charging personal contact against the body of an opponent by a player with
the ball.
Cut a quick offensive move by a player trying to get free for a pass.
Denial Defense aggressive individual defense where the defensive player
works hard to keep the offensive player from receiving a pass.
Double Dribble when one person dribbles, stops and picks up the ball and
starts to dribble again or dribble with two hands simultaneously.
Dribble the process of bringing the ball down the floor or moving the ball from
place to place using the finger pads to tap the ball.
Drive an aggressive move toward the basket by a player with the ball.
Fake (Feint) using a deceptive move with the ball to pull the defensive player
out of position.
Fast break moving the ball quickly down the court in order to score before the
defense can set up.
Field Goal - a basket scored from the field, worth two points, unless outside the
Three Baseline the end line point line.
Free throw the privilege given a player to score one point by an unhindered
throw for a goal from within the free-throw circle and behind the free throw line.
Lay-up a shot where a player releases the ball close to the basket while
continuing to run off one foot.
Pick a special type of screen where a player stands so the defensive player
slides to make contact, freeing an offensive teammate for a shot, drive, or pass.
Pivot takes place when a player who is holding the ball steps once or more than
once in any direction with the same foot. The other foot, called the pivot foot, is kept
at its point of contact with the floor.
Press a teams attempt to take the ball away from their opponent before they can
set up their offense.
Rebound when a shot bounces off the backboard or basket and is pulled down
by a player.
Teams Back Court the part of the court containing the opponents basket.
Telegraphing the Pass indicating where you are going to pass by looking or
signaling.
Throw-in a method of putting the ball in play from out of bounds.
Traveling when a player in possession of the ball within bounds progresses
illegally in any direction.

Violation an infraction of the rules resulting in a throw-in from out of bounds for
the opponents.

PHILIPPINES WOMENS
UNIVERSITY

P.E 4

HISTORY OF BASKETBALL

SUBMITTED TO:
MR.

SUBMITTED BY:
SHIRLEY G. DIWAS