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Basketball Terms
- Assist --
You will often see in a players stats a certain number of assists.
These are passes that subsequently result in a goal being scored
- Back Court -- The defensive zone for each team.
- Defensive rebound -- A rebound caught by defenders.
- Double Team -- When two defenders mark one attacker, usually their best player.
- Drive -- An attacking move at full speed.
- Dunk Shot -- A dunk is the spectacular scoring maneuver when a player jumps
high, reaches above the ring, and stuffs the ball down through the
hoop.
- Fake -- To fake is to feint a pass or move.
- Free Throw -- An uncontested shot from the free throw line, taken by a player
who has been fouled. It is worth one point only.
- Game Clock -- This is a clock that runs whenever the ball is in play, and stops
whenever the ball goes out of bounds or when a foul is committed.
- Goal Tending -- An illegal move by a defender of striking the ball on its downward
flight to the basket. Two points are awarded.
Jump Ball -- A jump ball is the method by which the game is started. The ball
is tossed up between two players, who try and tap it down to their
teammates.- Paint -- When a player takes a shot from within 'the paint' it means they
are shooting from inside the key, which these days is often painted
a different color.
- Personal Foul -- Personal fouls are fouls committed by a player, and after five
of these (or six in the NBA) the player has to sit out the game.
A replacement is allowed to enter the game.
- Pick / Screen -- An offensive maneuver using one player to block for another, without
making contact, by placing themselves between the defender and their
own teammate who has the ball.
- Shot Clock -- A 30-second clock (or 24 in the NBA) which limits the time a team
may have possession of the ball without shooting. If a shot is not
put up in this time then possession passes to the other team.
- Substitution / Sub -- When a player on court is substituted which one from the bench.
This can occur whenever there is a break in play, on direction of
the referees.
- Time Out -- A time out is when play is stopped on request of the coach, which
gives each team a chance to discuss tactics.
- Traveling -- Taking more than 1 1/2 steps without dribbling, which results in
a penalty free to the opposing team.
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