In the story published by the Republican, the teachers were credited with “agility” but the student’s “science” is what led them to defeat the teachers 5-1. Around 200 spectators attended to discover this new sport they had never heard of or seen before. The instructors played against the students. The first public game of basketball was played in a YMCA gymnasium and was recorded by the Springfield Republican on March 12th, 1892. Photograph by Carmen Mandato, Getty Images First public games The Huskies have won more NCAA championships than any other women's basketball team in the nation. UCONN won the game and advanced to the Sweet 16. Right: Olivia Nelson-Ododa (#20) of the University of Connecticut Huskies goes up for a basket against Digna Strautmane (#45) of the Syracuse Orange during the second round of the 2021 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at the Alamodome on Main San Antonio, Texas. If a game was tied, it could be continued until another goal was made. The team making the most goals within the allotted time was declared the winner. The length of a game was two 15-minute halves, with five minutes' rest between. If any side persisted in delaying the game, the umpire would call a foul on that side. In case of a dispute, an umpire would throw the ball straight into the field. The person throwing the ball was allowed five seconds if he held it longer, the ball would go to the opponent. When the ball went out of bounds, it was thrown into the field of play by the person first touching it. If the ball rested on the edges, and the opponent moved the basket, it would count as a goal. If a team made three consecutive fouls, the opposing team would be allowed a goal.Ī goal was made when the ball was thrown or batted from the grounds into the basket and stayed there. Umpires decided when a goal had been made and kept track of the goals. They decided when the ball was in bounds, to which side it belonged, and managed the time. Umpires served as judges for the game, made note of fouls and had the power to disqualify players. But if there was evidence that a player intended to injure an opponent, the player would be disqualified for the whole game. A second foul would disqualify a player until the next goal was made. The first infringement was considered a foul. Players were not allowed to push, trip or strike their opponents. A player could not run with the ball but had to throw it from the spot where it was caught. In the original rules: The ball could be thrown in any direction with one or both hands, never a fist. Naismith’s original rules of the game sold at auction in 2010 for $4.3 million. Some are still part of the modern game today. Naismith didn’t create all of the rules at once, but continued to modify them into what are now known as the original 13 rules. The first game ever played between students was a complete brawl.
A person was stationed at each end of the balcony to retrieve the ball from the basket and put it back into play. The students would play on teams to try to get the ball into their team’s basket. The height of that lower balcony rail happened to be 10 feet. Naismith nailed the peach baskets to the lower rail of the gymnasium balcony, one on each side. When the janitor came back from his search, he had two peach baskets instead. Naismith approached the school janitor, hoping he could find two square boxes to use for goals. ( See 100 years of football in pictures.) The game also needed to provide plenty of exercise for the students, yet without the physicality of football, soccer, or rugby since those would threaten more severe injuries if played in a confined space. The game had to be playable indoors, and it had to accommodate several players at once. Naismith wanted to create a game that would be simple to understand but complex enough to be interesting.