1. Basketball
By: Owen R.

2. Table of Contents Chapter 1: In the Beginning
Chapter 2: Basketball Rules
Chapter 3: Safety and Equipment
Chapter 4: Offense
Chapter 5: Defense
Chapter 6: Dribbling
Chapter 7: Passing
Chapter 8: Shooting
Chapter 9: About the Author
Glossary
Pictures

3. Chapter 1: In the Beginning
Basketball has been around a long time and has undergone many changes over the past 125 years!. The game was invented in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith. He was a physical education professor who was trying to keep his gym class busy on rainy and snowy days in New England. He designed the court shape to fit in a gymnasium and built the worlds first basketball hoop out of a peach basket. The original peach basket had the bottom still intact which meant people had to use ladders to pull out each ball that went into the basket. Not many people know that the original basketball was actually a soccer ball. Over the next 20 years, a hoop and net replaced the basket and a backboard was added. The orange ball that we use today was introduced in 1951.

4. Chapter 2: Basketball Rules
Basketball has many rules and guidelines that are generally followed. Following are some key rules:
There are 5 players on the court for each team
Most basketball games (High school and NBA) consist of 4 quarters although NCAA games consist of two halves
The goal is to score more total points than the other team
Scoring rules are: 2 points for a regular basket, 1 point for a free throw and 3 points for a basket scored from beyond a designated area

5. Chapter 3: Safety and Equipment
In basketball you can get hurt due to the physical nature of the game which includes running, jumping, starting and stopping and other players on the court doing the same things. It is very important to stretch before and after playing basketball. Regular cardio work outs to improve your endurance and weight training to strengthen your muscles are two ways to lessen the chance of injury. Obeying the rules and playing under control is another way to increase safety. In terms of equipment, basketball is really cool because you only need one ball and a pair of shoes to get started. Shorts, jerseys and socks are nice to have and cool to look at but not required for you and your buddies to play a game.

6. Chapter 4: Offense
Offense in basketball, like most other sports, is how you score points. If your team has the ball, you are on offense. The offensive side of basketball is usually what interests the fans. High flying dunks and really long 3 point shots look easy on the SportsCenter highlight reels, but basketball takes years of practice to master. Learning proper fundamentals for dribbling, passing and setting picks for your teammates are just as important as learning how to shoot and score the baskets. Basketball is a true team sport and one of the reasons I love it!

7. Chapter 5: Defense
Offense is where the points are scored and where the glory comes from, but, Defense is where you stop the other team from scoring. Blocking shots, stealing passes and hustling are areas of defense that are every bit as important as the offensive side of basketball. You cant win without scoring points, but winning without playing good defense is nearly impossible. Some of the greatest players of all time, like Michael Jordan and Lebron James pride themselves on being great defensive players as well offensive powerhouses. There are many pro basketball players that are defensive specialists often guarding the other teams best players. I love basketball because it takes all kinds of players and skills to make a successful basketball team.

8. Chapter 6: Dribbling
Dribbling is the key to movement in basketball. Offensive players have to bounce the ball on the floor once for each step they take while the ball is in their possession. Dribbling looks very easy watching on television but it is a skill very few people can master. The point guard is the player on the team that controls the pace of the game and he does so by dribbling and passing the ball effectively. The game of basketball would not be the same without dribbling. I think it would be crazy on the basketball court without dribbling and a completely different game.

9. Chapter 7: Passing
Passing is a really big help in basketball and that’s how you move the ball around the court quickly and “assist” your team mates in scoring. It feels really good when you help some one score by passing them the ball. My coach says he would rather see an amazing pass and an easy shot than an amazing shot. It shows good teamwork, and I like that. I think scoring works better and happens more often when you are passing effectively.

10. Chapter 8: Shooting
Shooting is important in basketball because that’s how you score points. Learning how to shoot correctly is difficult but necessary if you want to score consistently. Some people are good at shooting from close to the basket, others can shoot from long distances. If you are really good, you can shoot from a place called the 3pt line which is over 20 feet from the basket! Practice is very important for muscle memory, which allows you to quickly judge how hard you need to shoot it or with what type of arc. Even the best players in the world have nights where they can’t make any shots and other nights where they can’t miss.

11. Glossary Passing– to throw a ball to another person
Shooting– to try to make a shot in the basket
Scoring– to put the ball into the hoop
Offense– to dribble and pass the ball around on the scoring side of the court
Defense – to block the other team from scoring

12. About the Author
He is 9 years old and lives with his mom, his dad and two dogs (Walter and Silas)
Owen enjoys all sports but especially likes soccer, baseball, basketball and football
He likes playing with his friends and his favorite subject in school is math
He attends BCS (Birmingham Covington School) and his favorite teacher in school is Ms. Butzin
His best friends at school are John, Owen O, Adiev and Jackson

13. Pictures
Credits: Pictures taken from Google Images