Blog
TITLE AND SUBJECT OF ARTICLE
Women's College
Basketball
We've come a long way since the inception of women's
college basketball.
The first game, played in
1893 at Smith College, was played between sophomores and
freshmen. However, the first "official" women's college
basketball match was recognized in April 1896 with a
game between Berkley and Stanford. This match was played
in a locked gymnasium, as men were not allowed to watch
as the women ran and jumped on the basketball court.
In 1901 a separate set of rules was written...
We've come a long way since the inception of women's
college basketball.
The first game, played in
1893 at Smith College, was played between sophomores and
freshmen. However, the first "official" women's college
basketball match was recognized in April 1896 with a
game between Berkley and Stanford. This match was played
in a locked gymnasium, as men were not allowed to watch
as the women ran and jumped on the basketball court.
In 1901 a separate set of rules was written for
women's college basketball. The early years involved
some crazy rules. The basket was sewn shut, so the
umpire had to go up and retrieve the ball whenever a
goal was scored. In addition, it was required that some
games be played on grass courts. Thankfully, the game
progressed and over the years the rules were modified.
The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for
Women did not conduct the first National Basketball
Tournament for Women until 1975. In this same year, the
Women's Basketball Coaches Association selected their
first All-America Team. The American Basketball League
(ABL) was founded in 1996, and the Women's National
Basketball Association followed in 1997. These
associations were created to keep talented American
players from moving to foreign leagues.
Then NCAA
continues to supervise women's college basketball,
having three divisions in place to filter the best
players. Division I remains the most prominent and
popular league, played by colleges that sponsor at least
seven sports for women players. These colleges are
required to play all but two of their games against
other Division I teams. Division II includes those
colleges that organize at least four sports each for
women, and they are required to play at least half of
their games against Division I or Division II teams.
Division III includes colleges that organize at least
five sports with two teams.
Winners of 31
conferences are automatically qualified for NCAA's
annual Women's Basketball Championship. The remaining 34
teams are chosen by a selection committee to make it a
field of 64. All of these teams are then organized in
four pools, with each pool seeded from one to 16.
The annual tournament begins on the third Thursday
of March. The first two days are most hectic, with a
total of 32 teams leaving the competition by the end of
the first day. By the end of day two, another 16 teams
will be eliminated. Then, the action really begins to
heat up as they remaining teams play for the Final Four
position, and then the playoff for the ultimate
tournament winner.
Women's college basketball has
certainly evolved from those grass court days of the
1800's, making today's sport an exciting part of modern
day professional athletics.
Women's College
Basketball - History and Background
It is well known that basketball was
invented in 1891 by Dr. James Nesmith, but what is not
so well known is the history of women's basketball. The
inaugural women’s college basketball session was
actually part of a physical education class at Smith
College for girls in Conneticut.
womens
basketball, college basketball for women, basketball
history
It is well known that basketball was
invented in 1891 by Dr. James Nesmith, but what is not
so well known is the history of women's basketball. The
inaugural women’s college basketball session was
actually part of a physical education class at Smith
College for girls in Conneticut.
The very first
women’s college basketball game took place at Smith
College for girls in 1893 where the freshman played
against the sophomores. Unlike women’s college
basketball games today, the game actually took place
behind locked doors and men were prohibited from
watching.
The rules of this first women’s college
basketball game were altered from those of the original
men’s version to enhance teamwork. The court had 3 zones
and three players from each team of nine were allowed in
each zone but could not move out of their zone. Funnily
enough, these early restrictions in the women’s college
basketball game are strikingly similar to the game of
netball that is played by schoolgirls and women all over
Europe.
Women’s college basketball began to
spread quickly and the first game between two different
women’s college basketball teams was played in April
1896 with Stanford beating Berkley. There were still 9
players on each women’s college basketball team in this
inter-college game but instead of keeping the original
rule where a player could only hold the ball for 3
seconds and must dribble it 3 times before passing this
was changed so that a player could not run more than 5
feet before having to pass the ball. Once again,
however, as with the first women’s college basketball
game, men were not allowed to watch the game.
The
formal rules of women’s college basketball were first
produced in 1901 and went through numerous changes
before developing into the game that is played today.
One of the most interesting aspects of the early women’s
college basketball games is that the basket was sewn
shut so that the umpire had to remove the ball from it
every time it was put through the hoop.
The
familiar indoor basketball court that today’s women’s
college basketball teams play on was not always made
available to the women for a couple of decades after the
sport began. Some women’s college basketball teams had
to play on grass courts outside and did not have the
chance to play on an indoor court at all.
Women's College
Basketball - History and Background
It is well known that basketball was
invented in 1891 by Dr. James Nesmith, but what is not
so well known is the history of women's basketball. The
inaugural women’s college basketball session was
actually part of a physical education class at Smith
College for girls in Conneticut.
womens
basketball, college basketball for women, basketball
history
It is well known that basketball was
invented in 1891 by Dr. James Nesmith, but what is not
so well known is the history of women's basketball. The
inaugural women’s college basketball session was
actually part of a physical education class at Smith
College for girls in Conneticut.
The very first
women’s college basketball game took place at Smith
College for girls in 1893 where the freshman played
against the sophomores. Unlike women’s college
basketball games today, the game actually took place
behind locked doors and men were prohibited from
watching.
The rules of this first women’s college
basketball game were altered from those of the original
men’s version to enhance teamwork. The court had 3 zones
and three players from each team of nine were allowed in
each zone but could not move out of their zone. Funnily
enough, these early restrictions in the women’s college
basketball game are strikingly similar to the game of
netball that is played by schoolgirls and women all over
Europe.
Women’s college basketball began to
spread quickly and the first game between two different
women’s college basketball teams was played in April
1896 with Stanford beating Berkley. There were still 9
players on each women’s college basketball team in this
inter-college game but instead of keeping the original
rule where a player could only hold the ball for 3
seconds and must dribble it 3 times before passing this
was changed so that a player could not run more than 5
feet before having to pass the ball. Once again,
however, as with the first women’s college basketball
game, men were not allowed to watch the game.
The
formal rules of women’s college basketball were first
produced in 1901 and went through numerous changes
before developing into the game that is played today.
One of the most interesting aspects of the early women’s
college basketball games is that the basket was sewn
shut so that the umpire had to remove the ball from it
every time it was put through the hoop.
The
familiar indoor basketball court that today’s women’s
college basketball teams play on was not always made
available to the women for a couple of decades after the
sport began. Some women’s college basketball teams had
to play on grass courts outside and did not have the
chance to play on an indoor court at all.