The history of international basketball and college basketball (Part 1)
Basketball is a favorite sport around the world. Let’s find out about the development of college basketball through the following article!
International basketball
The most prestigious international organization operating and managing basketball is FIBA. FIBA is an acronym for the International Basketball Federation, founded in 1932 by eight founding nations: Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania and Switzerland. At this time, the organization only monitors amateur players.
Men’s basketball was first included in the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics, although another tournament had been held since 1904. At the Berlin Olympics, the United States beat Canada in Canada in the final. The United States is also one of the leading countries in basketball competitions.
In 1950, the first FIBA world championship was held in Argentina for men, called the FIBA World Cup Basketball. Three years later, the first FIBA World Championship for women, now called the FIBA Women’s Basketball Championship, is held in Chile. Women’s basketball has been played in the Olympics since 1976.
In 1989, FIBA allowed professional NBA players to participate in the Olympics for the first time. Prior to the 1992 Summer Olympics, only European and South American teams were allowed to join experts in the Olympics. The participation of nations has been expanded over the subsequent Olympics.
Worldwide, basketball tournaments are held for men and women of all ages. The popularity of this sport is shown by the nationalities represented in the NBA. Players playing in the NBA come from all six continents.
College basketball
Basketball is not only played in professional tournaments, but also taught at universities.
James Naismith was the first to establish college basketball. His colleague, CO Beamis, put on his first college basketball team just a year after the Springfield YMCA match at the suburban university of Pittsburgh Geneva. Naismith herself then trained at the University of Kansas for six years, before handing the team over to the famous coach Forrest Allen.
Later, Naismith’s student, Amos Alonzo Stagg, brought basketball to the University of Chicago, while Adolph Rupp, a student of Naismith in Kansas, was successful as a coach at the University of Kentucky.
On February 9, 1895, the first five intercollegiate basketball game was played at Hamline University between Hamline and the School of Agriculture, affiliated with the University of Minnesota.