Basketball Court Measurement Quiz

In 1891, Dr. James Naismith was assigned to create an indoor activity for students at the YMCA Training School in Springfield, Mass. The students, who were training to be P.E. teachers, were understandably bored doing nothing but calisthenics and gymnastics during those long New England winters. They longed for action and competition. Dr. Naismith combined elements of outdoor games like soccer and lacrosse with the concept of a game he’d played in childhood, Duck on a Rock. To win Duck on Rock, players threw stones to hit a target placed on top of a large boulder. A ball and an elevated goal—those are the simple ingredients of the sport that now has players and rabid fans in nearly every part of the world. More Basketball History Naismith’s class played the first game of basket ball (two words) using a soccer ball and two peach baskets nailed to a balcony railing ten feet above the floor. The class of 18 was divided into two teams of nine players. The gym they played in was just 54 feet by 35 feet (modern courts are 84 feet x 50 feet). The final score of that first-ever basketball game was 1-0. William Chase scored the lone goal from 25 feet—a half-court shot in that small gym. Naismith had just 13 rules for basketball, which he carefully typed on two pages. The game had to stop after each goal so the referee could climb a ladder and retrieve the ball from the basket. Fortunately, those early games were very low scoring affairs.

Back in 1901, in Springfield, Massachusetts, all gymnasium facilities were uniform, and called for the running track to be placed 10 feet off of the gym floor in every gym. So when James Naismith nailed his peach basket to the running track — the official height of a basketball basket thenceforth became 10 feet.

High school courts are 50 feet wide by 84 feet long.

All basketball rims (hoops) are 18 inches in diameter. A women's ball is about 9.23 inches in diameter and a men's ball is about 9.55 inches in diameter. So, almost two women's balls will fit in the rim at the same time, Wow! The regulation women's ball is a minimum 28.5 inches round (the circumference), which is 1 inch smaller than the men's ball which is 29.5 inches round.

The foul line (Free Throw line) is 15 feet from the Front of the backboard. To teach proper shooting techniques, the Leagues, for youth players, allows 7 and 8 year old players to use an 8-foot high basket. They use a free throw line that is 12 feet 10 inches from the front of the backboard.

The Center Circle and Free Throw Circle have a radius of 6 feet; therefore, their diameter is 12 feet. The Center Circle is only used to start the game with a jump ball. On jump balls, non-jumpers must remain outside the circle until the ball is tapped by one of the jumpers.

The standard size of a High School Basketball court is typically 84 feet long and 50 feet wide. Some Junior High School court will measure 74 feet long and 42 feet wide.

The 3 Point Line (Arc): High School – the 3 point arc is 19 feet 9 inches at the top of the key also there is a straight line extending out 5 feet 3 inches (63 inches) from the baseline in the corner.

The length of the space between the end of one hash mark to the beginning of the next is 36 inches (or 3 feet). This can be inferred from the given options, where each option represents a different length in inches and feet. The correct answer is the option that corresponds to the longest length, which is 36 inches or 3 feet.

This is the rectangle area below the free-throw line between the lane lines to the baseline. It is sometimes called the "Paint" since, in most gyms, it is painted (red in PRES Gym). If any offensive player remains in this area for more than three seconds, it is a violation, and the other team gets the ball. Note: The NBA also limits the defensive players to three seconds in this area as well.

Women's basketball began in the winter of 1892 at Smith College. Senda Berenson, an instructor at Smith, taught basketball to her students, hoping the activity would improve their physical health.[1] Basketball's early adherents were affiliated with YMCAs and colleges throughout the United States, and the game quickly spread throughout the country. However, Berenson was taking risks simply in teaching the game to women. She worried a little about the women suffering from "nervous fatigue" if games were too strenuous for them. And, in order to keep it "acceptable" for women to play at all, she taught modified rules. These included a court divided into three areas and nine players per team. Three players were assigned to each area (guard, center, forward) and could not cross the line into another area. The ball was moved from section to section by passing or dribbling. Players were limited to three dribbles and could hold the ball for three seconds. No snatching or batting the ball away from a player was allowed. A center jump was required after each score. Peach baskets and the soccer ball were the equipment. Uniforms consisted of attire similar to school uniforms, including long baggy shorts. Meanwhile, current women's basketball uniforms consist of a jersey and gym shorts. Variations of Berenson’s rules spread across the country via YMCAs and colleges. The first intercollegiate women's basketball game was played between teams from Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley, in 1896.