Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-03-06
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BY JAMES NAISMITH

BY JAMES NAIsMITH
Basketball intuition-the art OF
knowing just where to be and what
to do when you get there under Ger
tain conditions during the progress
Of game-is quality which devotees
Of the sport acquire only after several
years participation. In football and
baseball events move along with sys'
tematic regularity, but In this indoor
game the unexpected is happening
every minute. One instant the ball
may be in the possession of your op'
ponents in the vicinity OF their goal
then every muscle is strained with
only defense in view-but a second
later one of your players may have
secured the sphere and at that instant
your whole theme is to get away from
your individual opponent in order to
open up an avenue through which the
ball may be passed to you without al
lowing an opportunity to block the
pass.
The ball may be located in a bunch
of wriggling players, each endeavoring,
without violating the rules, to get
it away from its possessor. A score OF
conditions can prevail in just this in
stance. and they may be dispelled or
multiplied in far less time than It
takes to relate it. II in such scrim'
mage one of your men holds the ball
in his hands it is your duty to either
take the pass from him If he can dis
entangle himself or locate yourself
in the vicinity of the basket In order
that you may receive pass from him
or from another of your players.
Perhaps in that instance you can
aid by blocking an opponent coming
down the floor to help; perhaps you
can grab it from your comrade by a
rush past him; perhaps you can do
more good by being ready to receive
a throw beneath the goal; perhaps
but what's the use.
Every detail, combined with dozens
of other details, goes to make up a
condition for which your movements
must be suited. A dozen games or
more and these requirements begin to
dawn upon the player who is a COM
parative novice. Advice helps in
giving a theory to fellow out, but, as
my friend Prof. Lewis Gillesby at
Northwestern university once said:
THE only way to become successful
in all lines of the sport is simply q
blamed hard grind three nights a
week in practice"
So in presenting the plays which are
illustrated in the diagram In this ar
ticle, l am branding them Intuition
Plays" Take the one in the diagram
to the left. This illustrates condi'
ton during which your opponents are
endeavoring to make free toss from
the foul line, after one of the players
of the team represented as aggressor
has violated the rules.
No. 6 is an opponent trying for q
goal from FOUL. He throws the ball
in the direction Of his basket, op'
ponents and aggressors being lined up
along the fouled lines. The center mo.
81 of the aggressors, being supposedly
the tallest man and best jumper of his
quintet, gets the ball as 1t caroms OIL
the goal in case of a possible failure
by No. 6.
In the meantime, the guard (No. y
and a forward mo. y have separated
themselves from the jam around the
basket. the former taking up a position
near the center Of the floor while the
latter moves to a point just to the
right and little up The floor.
Then the center heaves the ball to
No. 2. who in turn sails 1t toward his
own goal, where 1t Is met by No. on
the run. Thence into the basket.
The positions Of Nos. 2 and may
be filled by any Of the players, but for
ward and center are perhaps best. The
reason. as l see it, is because the cen
ter is generally the best fitted physic
ally to leap into the air and corral
the sphere because of the height and
tumping qualifications which are the
center's essentials. Then in the case
of No. 2, q forward under the goal OF
his opponents has no one to guard
from a throw at the basket, for usually
his guard will lay back in the vicinity
of the center.
In No. ~ case, it is the old order OF
things in which a forward seldom fol
lows his guard opponent, and conse
auently the latter should be free fol
an easy throw at the net. Your team
may switch of in order to bewildel
opponents by changing men for Ger
tain duties in that play, for it IL
known fact among basket ball coach
60 that just about three goals wrune
from opponents by that combination
will make the latter wary and each
man will stick 80 closely to his IN
dividual opponent that perhaps further
ATTEMPTS will be frustrated. So 1t Il