Girl’s Guide to Basketball: The Court, The Game, The Basics

Posted by Stiletto Jen 7,604 views

Over the last year we’ve brought you Girls Guides to Football and Baseball and finally, we are presenting, Girl’s Guide to Basketball.

Basketball has always been my favorite sport. I grew up watching the Chicago Bulls and the Boston Celtics during their peak years with Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. I’ve always loved the quick, constant action. And I truly think there is nothing sexier than a man that can make a three-point shot, although some will argue and say guys who can dunk are far sexier.

I also love how uncomplex the sport is to learn and enjoy, unlike football. But don’t underestimate it! Just because it’s easy to learn how to watch the game, does not mean it’s easy for the players to master. Basketball requires physical strength and endurance, precision-point accuracy and timing, mental and strategic awareness, teamwork, heart, dedication and passion. Over the next few days we’ll be going over:

The Basics (that’s this post!)
Players & Positions
How to score & different types of shots
Maneuvers: dribbling, passing, rebounds, and assists
Key Defensive Strategies
The Pick & Roll, Screens and other advanced terms
Fouls, Violations & Penalites
The differences between college & pro basketball

Lots to learn so let’s get started with some basics!

The Team:

Just like in baseball or football, or most other sports for that matter, basketball begins with two teams: Home and Visitor.

Each team is allowed 5 players on the court at a given time
Each team is allowed to substitute their players, but only after dead balls or in time-outs
Each team plays both offense and defense but unlike football, the players do not change. The players are responsible for both scoring and defending. This is known as Transitional Defense or Transitional Offense.

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The Game

The game consists of 4 12 minute quarters (in college there are 2 20 minute halves)
After the second quarter, there is a half-time intermission.
If the game is tied after 4 quarters, the game goes into Overtime (OT) which lasts 5 minutes.
The teams can go into multiple OTs until the game is decided.

Game Clock: Ticks down time per quarter

Shot Clock: Ticks down many seconds the team has to shoot the ball.

In the NBA, the players have 24 seconds to shoot
In college they have 35 seconds
The shot also keeps track of the “10 second line.” A team has 10 seconds to move the ball from one baseline to mid-court or it is a violation.

Start of Game:

Begins with a Jump Ball, or Tip-Off. This is similar to a face-off in hockey. The players gather in center court circle,where an official tosses the basketball in the air. A player from each team attempts to “tip” the ball to another teammate to gain possession to start the game. There is also a jump ball to start the 3rd quarter (or 2nd half in college) and to start overtime. Also, anytime there is a conflict of who is in possession (like when two players are grabbing on to the ball and not letting go)

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The Court:

Divided into Front Court, Back Court and Mid-Court. Front and Back Court are mirror images of each other. Front Court refers to the half of court with the basket you are trying to score in. Back court refers to the half of court with the other team’s basket.

The Hardwood: the court!

The Glass: Commonly heard phrase “off the glass” This is the glass backboard behind the basket/hoop.

The basket/hoop: The thing the players are trying to put the ball in! The basket consists of a rim and a net. There is basket on each end of the court; one for home, one for visitor. Half-way through the game, the teams switch baskets.

The Baseline: The lines that run under the basket. These define the out-of-bounds area by the hoop.

The Sidelines: The parallel lines that run on opposite sides of the court, for the whole length of the court. It’s the out-of-bounds line

The Arc: Surrounding the basket is a semi-circle called “the arc.” Any shot taken inside that semi-circle is worth 2 points; outside that semi-circle is worth 3 points!

The Lane: Directly in front of the basket is a rectangle called “the lane.” It’s the heavily guarded pathway to the basket. The lane runs from the “free throw line” to the baseline

Free Throw Line: At the end of the lane, farthest from the basket, there is a line. Whenever there is a foul, a player gets to take a free, unguarded shot (or a free throw), from the Free Throw Line.
The Key: The key is actually another name for the lane. But more commonly said is “top of the key.” At the end of the lane, or free throw lane, there is a smaller semi-circle. That is the top of the key.
In The Paint: Refers to a player in the lane because the lane is painted a different color then the rest of the court

The Post: The area right under and around the basket. Commonly said “in the post”

Mid-Court (half-court): The line in the middle of the court that divides home/visitor, front/back. A team has 10 seconds to advance the ball from the baseline to half-court or there is a penalty.

Center Circle: Is on mid-court and is used for jump balls

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Objective: Like most sports, the object for the team is to score more points than other team. In basketball, points are scored by making baskets, or by putting the basketball into the basket! There are three types of scoring baskets:

2 Point Shot
3 Point Shot
1 Point Free Throw

Shot: The act of throwing the ball into the basket is referred to as “shooting” in basketball.

Free Throw: When a player is fouled or there is a penalty, a player gets to take a free, unguarded shot, or throw, at the basket. The player must take the shot from the free throw line at the end of the lane. Each made shot is worth 1 point. (We’ll get into the assessment of penalties a little bit later)

Two Point Shots: Any shot made inside or on the arc (remember, the semi-circle going around the court….) is worth 2 points. The or on is key because if a player even has one foot on that line, it counts as only two points.

Three Point Shot: Any shot made from outside that arc is worth 3 points. Also known as shooting from downtown, since it’s so far away!

Up Next: Players & Positions and more in-depth coverage about shooting and types of shots!

About the author: Jennifer Taglione is the owner of this fabulous website Stiletto Sports. Despite writing well over 500 posts, she still maintains that she is not a sports writer! She is however a huge fan of Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Mark Sanchez, the Celtics, and totally kicks butt on March Madness brackets! Connect with her by following her on Twitter @StilettoSportsJ and subscribing to her weekly newsletter. For more info check out the About the Editor page!