Basketball was invented in 1891, by Dr. James A. Naismith, an instructor at the International YMCA Training School (now Springfield College ) in Spring- field, Mass. He was seeking to supply an indoor team game during the cold-weather months.

Until the advent of basketball, students in gymnasiums spent most of their time working with equipment such as Indian clubs and weights. Dr. Naismith believed that students would be more interested in another form of indoor recreation. He sought a game that would test their skill and stamina as well as strength, and would provide the same kind of enjoyment furnished in other popualar team games.

Dr. Naismith realized that a game in which a ball was thrown but not do carried would prevent roughness. Then he sought a target that would discourage the necesssity of throwing the ball with too much force. He decided on horizontal target, so placed that it was necessary to toss the ball in an arc and high enough so that defenses could not congregate in front of it and block shots.

At first two wooden pach baskets were chosen as goals. They were hung at each end of the gymnasium. A soccer ball was started, as it is today, by having a referee toss the ball up at midcourt between two players from opposing sides.

The sport proved an immediate success with players. The peach baskets were quickly replaced by metal ones and, in 1906, by opne hoops of the kind used today. Backboards were introduced to keep overenthusiatic spectators form interfering with the ball.

The Springfield YMCA was the chief arbiter of the rules for the game's first two years. however, there were times when this led to confusion, and for years basketball was a game without uniform interpretation. The Amateur Athletic Union finally joined the Spring- field YMCA in trying to legislate the game. The colleges remained dissatisfied, however, and in 1908, the Na tional Collegiate Athletic Association assumed charge of college rules. In 1915, the NCAA and the AAU formed the Joint Basketball Rules Committee, but still there remained numerous rules variations until the rules were standardized in 1934.

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