Basketball in Australia Basketball in Australia
Basketball was introduced to Australia by the American servicemen who played it when they were in Australia during the Second World War. It was not until the 1920's that the first basketball association was established in Victoria through the YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association). The game was generally restricted to men's gymnasiums and colleges. When they first started playing the game at the old YMCA gymnasium, the players wore long pants and jerseys. But as the game progressed, speed and movement became important. Suitable clothing was needed to help the players move more freely, so singlets and silky shorts became the uniform. In Australia basketball is the fastest growing sport, for both men and women. The Australian women's team achieved outstanding success at the Seoul Olympic Games, narrowly missing a bronze medal but giving Australian women's basketball a high profile. The Australian youth team scored a bronze medal at the world championships held in Spain 1989. The men's Australian team, known as the Boomers, competed at the 1990 world championships in Argentina, and finished in seventh position. The Boomers also defeated Italy and Puerto Rico to finish in fifth position in the Goodwill Games. The Australian team is continuing to make a steady progress in international competition and is ranked among the world top six teams.
History of the game Basketball
The game of Basketball began in 1891. It was invented by a Canadian doctor named Dr. James Naismith. He was also a coach at an American college named Springfield. In America their main sport was Baseball. But because they couldn't play baseball in the winter all the athletes got very unfit. So Dr James Naismith invented Basketball as an indoor winter sport. The game of Basketball started out with 13 rules. There was to be no body contact, the sport was to be played in a gymnasium, played with a soccer ball, but only to be touched by hands, a fruit basket was hoisted up 3 metres to score in and ladders were used to retrieve the ball. The game of Basketball became very popular in many schools, colleges and gymnasiums throughout America. It also became an Olympic sport in 1936. The fruit baskets which gave the game its name were replaced with metal attached to a pole. Backboards were introduced to stop interference from spectators who leaned over to push the ball either into the basket or away from it (depending on which team they barrack for). The soccer ball was replaced by a larger ball with laces.
How to play Basketball
The idea of basketball is to score by landing the ball into the basket which is being defended by the opposing team, the ball can be thrown, rolled dribbled or deflected by hands, the player travels along the court by running or walking dodging the opposing team, if a player throws the ball into the from anywhere on the court, two points are awarded. This is called a field goal. The player may be awarded with a free throw if the opposition has broken a rule, it is worth only one point. The "fast break" is a style of offensive play. Players may grab the ball rebounding off the blackboard and throw it to the forward or guard as quickly as possible. The idea is to catch the opposition before they can regroup. This gives a team the opportunity to play three or four team members against two defenders. All the more chance to score points.
By Orepa Mene, Year 10, Herberton, Australia
References
Shane Power Sport in the Making Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Group (Australia) Marrickville NSW 1990 pp 52 - 55.
Picture from Microsoft Clipart Gallery