History of Basketball

In 1891, Canadian born Dr. James Naismith at Springfield College, Mass. constructed a game to occupy the students during the winter months. He nailed a peach basket to the side of the balcony at each end of the gym into which the ball was thrown. Someone had to sit on a ladder to get back the ball after a player scored.

He restricted the players to seven, but as the years have passed the number varies from five to eleven. The two forwards did all or most of the scoring when the game first began. We now have five shooters compared to only two when it first began making it faster and more interesting. Guards seldom ever took a shoot and the center was used mainly to get the tap on the jump.

The peach basket was replaced by a metal ring on a pole in 1906, placed ten feet above the ground.

Because of over-enthusiastic spectators a wire mesh backboard had to be installed to prevent the people from using hands, sticks, and even umbrellas pushing the ball while in flight either into or out of the basket. The mesh backboard was found to be unsuitable so plain wood or safety glass were then chosen to give a more effective change of scoring.

With the development of one-hand shots and fast breaks the game has become one of great skill that was unknown when if first started up.