Basketball
Written and Illustrated by Samuel J. Brady
Table of Contents
1. What is Basketball.............................................................................1-2
2. Home Court……………………………………………………………………………....….3-4
3. Offense or Defense...........................................................................5-6
4. Basketball Rules...............................................................................7-8
5. History of Basketball........................................................................9-10
Glossary...............................................................................................11-12
What is Basketball?
Some of you may be wondering what is basketball. I want to tell you what it is, of course it is a
very fun sport, and it is also a team sport. A team sport is a sport where you are in a team and the
team helps you win, you can't do it all by your-self. There can by 8
or 10 or 13 players on your team but only 5 players play at a time,
the rest of the players are cheering them on while they are sitting
on a bench, and when it’s their turn they are ready to play again.
The two teams that are versing each other on a wooden ground
called a basketball court. There are different lines on the court
that represents boundaries. (Find the certain lines on pages 3 and
4)
Basketball is also a sport for people of all ages. You can also play it in your Back yard, school,
church, high schools and other GYMs or Basketball courts. Most cities have a basketball league for
kids and teenagers. In junior high and high schools they only take the best players. If you are good
enough you can be in the NCAA which stands for National Collegiate Athletic Association, and in a
NBA team, which stands for National Basketball Association.
Did you know that the first
basketball was made in 1891?
Home Court
On full court there are two special lines called foul lines. You need one on each side of the
court. It is also called the free throw line because when you get fouled, you get to shoot a free
throw with no one blocking your shot.
There is also a line on the
court called half court line.
Another name for the half court
line is the midcourt line. The half
court line is a line that splits the
court apart. It is in the middle of
the court. In the game it is useful
for one important reason. Once
you cross the line to your side, you
can’t cross back to the other side.
In Junior Jazz, the half court line is
used differently. When one team
makes a basket that team has to go past “half court” without guarding the other team.
There is one more line on the court called the three-pointer line. If you make a basket in a
game from the three-pointer line, it counts for 3
points instead of 2 points. Also, there is a further
three pointer that NBA courts and high school courts
use, it is called a deep three.
One more very important thing on the court is the
hoop. Do you know why the hoop is a very important
thing on the court? It is
because the team
plays together to
score as many
Did you know that the
points they can.
first hoops where just
So you can’t
peach baskets and the
play basketball without a basketball hoop.
first backboards were
made of wire?
Offense or Defense
In basketball each team either plays offense or defense.
Do you know what offense means? It means that your team
has the ball and you are trying to score a basket. So lets say
that you are on a basketball team, you are running towards
the hoop, or one of you r teammates is running to score a
basket, all that matters is that your team has the ball. That is
what offense means.
Do you know what defense means? Defense means that
the other team has the ball and your team is trying to keep
the other team from scoring a basket. You try to steal the ball
from your opponent that you are guarding. For example, the
team that you are versing just passed the ball in and you are
guarding your opponent so you can steal the ball from him.
That is what we call Defense.
Basketball Rules
There are important rules in basketball that the referee will call. Here are some of them.
One of these rules is fouling, when you foul someone
you push them and that is one thing you cannot do in a
basketball game. When you get fouled you get to shoot a
free throw.
Another rule is double dribbling. When you double
dribble you are dribbling the ball but suddenly you pick it up, then you start dribbling again, that is
another rule the referee will call.
The next rule is traveling. Traveling is when you are running with a
basketball without dribbling. That is another thing the referee will call.
The last rule we are talking about is
dribbling off the sidelines. On the court the
lines at edge are the sidelines, when you
dribble off the sidelines the referee will call it
and give the ball to the other team.
History of basketball
A man named James Naismith invented basketball. How,
you ask? I’ll tell you how. The basketball hoops were just peach
baskets. They nailed the peach baskets onto the balcony and
whenever someone scored, they had to stop the game and have
the janitor come out with a ladder to climb and get the ball.
Then the game resumed. Eventually, they cut holes in the
bottom of the peach baskets.
Here are a few facts I found about the first game ever in history. The first game was played on
December 21, 1891. James Naismith had come up with a new game with 5 basic ideas and 13 rules.
He divided his class into two teams. They played in the armor street court: 9 versus 9. They used a
soccer ball and two peach baskets. Someone suggested to call the game “Naismith Game,” but he
suggested “We have a ball and a basket; why don’t we call it basketball?” The eighteen players
were: John G. Thompson, Eugene S. Libby, Edwin P. Ruggles, William R. Chase, T. Duncan Patton,
Frank Mahan, Finlay G. MacDonald, William H. Davis and Lyman Archibald, who defeated George
Weller, Wilbert Carey, Ernest Hildner, Raymond Kaighn, Genzabaro Ishikawa, Benjamin S. French,
Franklin Barnes, George Day and Henry Gelan. The final score was 1-0. Chase scored the goal.
In 1906 metal hoops, nets and
backboards were introduced.
Soccer balls were replaced
with the Spalding ball, similar
to the one used today.
Glossary
Boundaries [boun-duh-rees] noun something that indicates bounds or limits; a limiting or
bounding line
Collegiate [kuh-lee-jit] adj. of or relating to a college: collegiate life.
Dribble [drib-uh-l] verb. To advance a ball or puck by bouncing it or giving it series of kicks or
bounces
Free throw noun. Two free throws without anyone blocking your shot from the foul line: foul
shot
Guarding [gahrd-ing] verb. Watch over some thing: guarding the ball
History [his-tuh-ree] noun. A continuous, systematic narrative of past events as relating to a
particular person, country, period or time, etc.
Introduced [in-truh-doos-ed] verb. To create, bring into notice, use, etc., for or as if for the
first time; institute.
Invented [in-vent-ed] verb, to produce or to create with imagination
Janitor [jan-i-ter] noun. A person employed in an apartment house, office building, school,
etc., to clean the public areas, remove garbage, and do minor repairs; caretaker.
League [leeg] noun. A group of athletic teams organized to promote mutual interests and to
compete chiefly among themselves.
Opponent [uh-poh-nuh nt] noun. A person who is on an opposing side in a game, contest,
controversy, or the like; adversary.
Referee [ref-uh-ree] noun. A judge having functions fixed by the rules of the game or sport;
umpire.
Resumed [ri-zoom-ed] noun. To take up or go on with again after interruption; continue.
Shoot [shoot] verb. To fling or propel; throw.
Steal [steel] verb. To take, get, or win insidiously, surreptitiously, subtly, or by chance.
Teammates [teem-meyts] noun. A member of the same team.