Swish: The Quest for Basketball's Perfect Shot

Swish: The Quest for Basketball's Perfect Shot — page 6 — Girl Power Women have been playing basketball unlike other sports for as long as men Women compete at every level from grade school to professional leagues The mother of women s basketball was Senda Berenson She was a teacher at Smith College in Massachusetts In the 1890s most people believed that playing sports was bad for the health of young women Berenson disagreed She thought basketball was an excellent game for her students In 1899 the Spalding sporting goods company asked Berenson to write the official rules of women's basketball They were different from the men s rules Players were not allowed to run up and down the entire AP court They had to stay in certain zones Also there was a limit to the number of times a player could dribble Berenson s rules made passing and shooting very important parts of the women's game Not surprisingly some of the finest shooters in the country during that time were women For the next sixty years or so women continued to play basketball according to these rules Six players took tu court for each team Three played offense only and three played defense only They did not cross half court the area where a line separates the court in two equal halves This restriction kept the best players from showing all their modern skills By the early 1970s the women's game finally began to change Women played five on five just like the men Free to display all their talent the top stars proved just how good they could be At the same time the women's game was growing in popularity in Europe and Asia Several countries started professional leagues During the 1980s and 1990s many U S college stars played overseas after graduating The first successful US pro league started after the 1996 Olympics The U S team above had won the gold medal and fans everywhere were very excited about women's basketball The Women's National Basketball Association WNBA began play in 1997 Over the years the world's best players joined the league They helped focus even greater attention on the teamwork energy and skill that characterize the women's game

Swish: The Quest for Basketball's Perfect Shot — page 7 — high ceilings which provided plenty of room for players and fans In big cities meanwhile playgrounds were hard to find Churches and settlement houses responded by converting their big basements into basketball courts Back then basketball was a rough game that caused a lot of bumps and bruises Referees called fouls only when players were hit very hard or knocked off their feet Players wore thick pants and pads on their knees and elbows to protect themselves Nets or wire cages surrounded many courts which prevented players from spilling into the audience as they chased after a loose ball Basketball was also a very fast game Players darted back and forth and passed the ball all over the court Dribbling the ball was not yet important The ball at the time was large and heavy It also had laces like a football so it did not always bounce straight Making a basket was not easy Many players were still learning the basics of the game They took almost all shots with two hands Some players launched the ball from behind their heads much the way soccer players toss balls from the sidelines The most popular style of shooting was a two handed shot from the waist or chest Very few shots actually went into the basket Most points were made on free throws which were awarded to a player who had been fouled Slowly but surely players found different ways of putting the ball in the basket In U S high schools and colleges coaching became more important Coaches started sketching out plays for their teams They taught their players how to get shots at the basket without defenders blocking their vision As more and more people across the country began to understand and appreciate basketball the game grew in popularity BEAVIER 10 SWISH

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