Alabama Basketball
Alabama is home to many basketball teams in the United States of America. For those of you that aren’t too familiar with the sport, basketball is a sport in which two teams of five players each try to score points on one another by throwing a ball through a hoop or a the basket under organized rules. Alabama basketball involves numerous organized leagues, and teams as well as numerous unorganized play of the game.
Points are scored by passing the ball through the basket from above; the team with most points at the end of the game wins. A regular jump shot inside the arch is worth two points, beyond the arch is three points, and a free throw is one point. The ball can be advanced on the court by bouncing it or dribbling or passing it between team mates. Disruptive physical contact is considered a foul and is not permitted and there are restrictions on how the ball can be handled which are called violations.
Through time, basketball has developed to involve common techniques of shooting, passing and dribbling, as well as players' positions, and offensive and defensive structures. While competitive basketball in Alabama is carefully regulated, numerous variations of basketball in Alabama have developed for casual play. Alabama basketball is also a popular spectator sport.
While competitive Alabama basketball is primarily an indoor sport, played on a basketball court, less regulated variations have become exceedingly popular as an outdoor sport among inner city groups.
Rules and Regulations of Basketball
Games are played in four quarters of ten or twelve minutes. Fifteen minutes are allowed for a half-time break, and two minutes are allowed at the other breaks. Overtime periods are five minutes long. Teams exchange baskets for the second half. The time allowed is actual playing time; the clock is stopped while the play is not active. Therefore, games generally take much longer to complete than the allotted game time, typically about two hours.Five players from each team may be on the court at one time. Basketball teams can have up to seven substitutes. Substitutions are unlimited but can only be done when play is stopped. Teams also have a coach, who oversees the development and strategies of the team, and other team personnel such as assistant coaches, managers, statisticians, doctors and trainers.
For both men's and women's teams, a standard uniform consists of a pair of shorts and a jersey with a clearly visible number, unique within the team, printed on both the front and back. Players wear high-top sneakers that provide extra ankle support. Typically, team names, players' names and sometimes sponsors are printed on the uniforms.
A limited number of time-outs, clock stoppages requested by a coach for a short meeting with the players, are allowed. They generally last no longer than one minute unless, for televised games, a commercial break is needed.
The game is controlled by the officials consisting of the referee, one or two umpires and the table officials. The table officials are responsible for keeping track of each teams scoring, timekeeping, individual and team fouls, player substitutions, team possession arrow, and the shot clock.