KIDS ZONE

Basketball Terms

  • Offense: On your side of the court trying to score.
  • Defense: Defense is when your team does not have the ball and are looking to stop the team with the ball from scoring.
  • Assist: Player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score.
  • Jump shot: Jumping as the ball is released, the shooter makes the shot harder to block.

Shot Clock: A timer designed to increase the game's pace (and scoring levels). INVENTED IN SYRACUSE, NY!!!! - back when we had a professional basketball team! - read more)

  • Backboard: Behind the basket can be made of metal, plastic, and even barn board, they can be mounted on brick walls, side of sheds, on trees, and standard light poles.
  • Center: Middle of the defense, tallest player on the team, and usually has the most strength on the team.
  • Equipment: Backboard, hoop, and ball
  • Free Throw: Unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court
  • Height: Being tall is a advantage, centers are usually the tallest players, more rebounding responsibility.
  • Jump ball: Used to begin or resume play.
  • Key: A area of the court that is painted a different color than the rest of the floor.
  • Match ups: If a player is taller or faster than a opponent, the coach runs plays designed to get the ball to the player with the advantage.
  • NBA: National Basketball Association.
  • Press: Defensive teams assign two or three players at half court to cause turnovers.
  • Passing: The movement of the ball from one player to another.
  • Quarter: Four eight minute quarters in a game.
  • Rebound: Any shot that hits the backboard or rim and doesn't go in.
  • Statistics: Kept by score keepers at the Scorer's table.
  • Traveling: If a player takes more than two steps without dribbling.
  • Time-out: When a coach calls a time-out, he usually asks his team to run a play they have practiced.
  • Uniform: Each uniform has a players number and their number is their identity
  • Victory: End of the game you cut the net.
  • WNBA: Women's National Basketball Association
  • YMCA: Basketball was invented by Dr.James Naismith who worked at the ymca.
  • Zone: Type of defense, used in team sports, which is the alternative to man-to-man defense instead of each player guarding a corresponding player on the other team, each defensive player is given an area known as a "zone" to cover.