A
Air-shot A shot that misses the hoop and the backboard.
Alley-oop A pass towards the basket is met by a player in mid-air, who then dunks the ball.
Assist A pass to a player who is then able to score relatively easily.
B
Back-court A team's defensive half. Also refers to a team's outside players or guards.
Backboard Flat board - often made of toughened glass - that supports the basket.
Backdoor play A basic inside play where a blocked player steps back as if to receive the ball and then rolls round the defender to the basket, open for a pass.
Bank shot A shot that rebounds off the backboard and into the basket.
Baseball pass A one-handed overhead pass, also called a javelin pass.
Baseline Or end-line. The line at each end of the court, 1.2m behind the backboard.
Basket The target itself, also another term for a score or goal.
Block To tap away an incoming shot just before the ball reaches the top of its arc. Also, a personal foul in which a player impedes an opponent who is not in possession.
Bounce pass A pass that hits the floor before reaching the player. The bounce pass is usually used to find a player close to the basket.
Boxing out Defensive players standing in positions designed to deny the offensive rebound.
Brick A strongly thrown but inaccurate shot that hits the rim or backboard.
Bunny An easy, undefended close shot, usually following a long pass from defence. Also known as as a snowbird.
Bury To score decisively - "...Johnson buried the bunny". Honest...
C
Centre Usually the tallest player on a team, the centre (or pivot) plays under the basket and is a strong rebounder and close-in scorer. See "Players" for more on player positions.
Charging foul A personal foul called against an attacking player who runs into a stationary defender .
Charity stripe The free-throw line.
Chucker A liability - a player who shoots whenever he's open, regardless of other offensive options.
Coast-to-coast A fast break by a team or individual from the back-court baseline to the opposition's basket.
Cut A quick move by an attacking player in an effort to lose the defender and be open for the pass.
D
"D" Defence - "he plays tough D".
Dead-ball foul A rule violation committed whilst the ball is out of play and/or the clock is stopped.
Deny Prevent an opponent from receiving a pass by guarding closely between him and the player in possession.
Double- foul Simultaneous fouls by attacker/defender. Official will signal a jump-ball at the nearest circle.
Double-team Two defending players guarding one attacker. The risk in using this defence is that it always leaves another attacking player open for the pass.
Downtown Describes a long-range shot from outside, rather than on, the three-point line.
Dribble To bounce the ball, either on the move or on the spot. Once the dribble ends (for example, when a player holds the ball in both hands) the player must pass the ball or shoot.
Drills To bounce the ball, either on the move or on the spot. Once the dribble ends (for example, when a player holds the ball in both hands) the player must pass the ball or shoot.
Drive An aggressive dribble towards the basket.
Dunk A shot thrown downwards through the basket with one or both hands (also: jam, slam).
E
EBBA English BasketBall Association - the governing of the sport in the UK, founded in 1936.
End-line Same as baseline. An "end-line ball" is like a throw-in in soccer but is taken from the line behind the basket. This is taken by an attacking team after certain offences or to restart play after a score.
F
Fade-away Usually refers to style of shot where the attacker jumps up and away from the defending player as he shoots. Generally, a fade indicates a move away from the direction of the ball. For example: after shooting a player may fade to the other side of the basket to follow-up on a possible rebound.
Fake A move intended to deceive an opponent by making as if to receive, pass or shoot.
Fast break A classic offensive move in which a team gains possession in defence and moves at pace down the court, hoping to get a shot in before the opposition can set a defence.
Feed Pass to a player who is in a position to score - if the shot comes off then the feed goes down as an assist...
Field goal A score from open play i.e. not from the free-throw line.
Follow-up A move towards the basket after the shot so as to be in position to get the rebound.
Forward There are usually two forwards on a team, playing either side of the basket. See "Players" for more on player positions.
Foul etc. A foul is usually called for illegal contact between two players. The "foul line" is another term for the free-throw line. "Foul trouble" is where a player or team is/are close to the limit allowed for personal fouls. See "Rules" for more on fouls.
Free agent A player whose contract with a club has expired or has been released by the club .
Free throw An undefended shot from the free-throw line (a line at the top of the key, 15' from the basket), awarded after a personal or technical foul.
   
Freelance An unstructured offensive move, where the players take advantage of an unexpected possession and.... make it up as they go along.
Freeze Keep possession of the ball, usually via a stationary dribble. This tactic is commonly employed to eat up time late in the game by a side defending a slender lead. Also: stall.
Front-court The offensive half of the court containing the opposition's basket.
Full court press A classic defensive play: close man-to-man marking across the whole court.
G
Give and go A one-two i.e.player passes to team-mate and cuts towards the basket for the return pass.
Goal-tending A rule violation where a player: interferes with the ball as it descends towards the basket, traps it against the backboard or touches it whilst it's above the basket.
Gooseneck The ideal follow-through position of the of the forearm and hand following a shot.
Guard Usually the two smallest, nimblest members of a team, the guards play on the outside and will be good ball-handers and shooters. See "Players" for more on player positions.
Gunner A nickname for a team's main long-range shooter
H
Half court press As full court press but the man-to-man marking is applied only in the back-court
Hang time The time that a player seems to hang in the air around the basket before receiving the pass. The illusion depends on the strength and angle of the jump. Watch Michael Jordan for further information...
Held ball A situation where two opposing players each have a firm two-handed grip on the ball. As with a double-foul, this results in a jump-ball at the nearest circle.
High post The area of the court around the top of the key around the free-throw line.
Hook shot One-handed shot with a swinging movement with body side-on to the basket.
I
In-bounds The playing area of the court.
Inside Usually refers to the area around the basket where the forwards and centre operate. A guard - or "outside" player - who also has an inside game is an asset to any team.
J
Jab A fake pivot, intended to deceive the defender into retreating and so freeing up space for the shot
Jump ball To start each quarter, the official tosses the ball above jumping height at the centre circle. As the ball descends players may tap it any direction (towards their own half is a common tactic...). A jump ball is also used after a double foul or held ball.
Jump hook A hook shot taken whilst jumping. When well executed by a big player, this shot is almost impossible to block.
Jump shot The "jumper" is a basic weapon in the offensive armoury.
K
Key The area of the court consisting of the marked rectangle (the "lane" ,usually painted) under and ahead of the basket and the circle divided by the free-throw line. The name "key" derives from the original keyhole shape of this area.
L
Lane(s) "The lane" refers to the marked and (usually) painted rectangle area under and ahead of the basket, starting at the base line and terminating at the free throw line.
"The lanes" are three imaginary sections of the court, equal in width and extending the length of the court. An example of this use would be in phase two of the fast break offense where players should "fill the lanes" to give full width to the attack and also be ready to defend after a turnover or missed shot. The "passing lane" refers to a space through which a pass may be made - for example, the area close either side of a defender's torso which is difficult to defend with the hands without looking extremely un-cool.
Also: the longest entry in this glossary
Lay-up Basic close-in shot, one-handed against the backboard and into the basket.
Lead pass A pass thrown ahead of a team-mate in motion.
Low post Area of the court at the base-line end of the key around the basket.
M
Man-to-man Defensive system where each player marks an opponent rather than a section of the court (see zone)
Motion offence An offensive system based on the continuous movement of all five players using basic individual and team plays. Motion offence scores usually come from the shooters in a team. Also: shuffle
O
Options The different opportunities that may arise during an offence.
Outlet pass A pass from the backcourt after a defensive rebound to a team-mate open on the wing (the outlet player) to initiate a fast break.
Out-of bounds Off court, opposite of in-bounds...
Outside Away from the key. "Outside" players - guards.
Overtime An extra five-minute period to decide a game tied at the end of normal time. Overtimes continue to be added until a result is achieved.
P
Perimeter The three-point line, the arc.
Passing game An offensive system with little or no dribbling that depends on fast, accurate passes to find the player open for the shot.
Passing lane See "Lane(s)"
Pattern play An offensive system where players start from pre-set positions. Due to the need to get in shape, this type of offence is normally initiated from a base or side-line ball, rather than an outlet pass.
Pick

An offensive player stands alongside a defender so as to give a team-mate in possession an opportunity to dribble past or shoot. In a "pick-and-roll" play, as soon as the player in possession is past the defender the team-mate who "set" the pick moves off the defender for a pass.
Pivot 1. Another name for the centre player. In offensive situations the attacking team tends to "pivot" around the big guy. Also used to describe the low-post itself.
2. The only foot movement allowed after a player has stopped dribbling. One foot may be advanced in any direction but the other foot must remain in place.
Play A rehearsed sequence of (mainly) offensive moves/passes. The coach is often called the play-caller.
Playmaker Usually a reference to the point-guard, a team's main ball-handler and on-court play-caller.
Point guard See playmaker. See "Players" for more on player positions.
Post (up) An offensive move where the centre stations himself in the low post with his back to the basket. He can then receive a pass or screen a team-mate who is cutting to the hoop.
Power Forward Also known as the #2. The larger of the two forwards - See "Players" for more on player positions.
Press A very close, aggressive defensive tactic intended to frustrate the attacking team into making errors and losing possession. The press can be applied in any section of the court either man-to-man, double-team or zone - whatever it takes. When applied to the opposition wherever they are, you have the classic "full court press".
Pump fake A fake shot. The hope is that the defender will jump to block and open the way for a pass to a team-mate - or even a genuine shot over the defender as he returns to ground level...
Q
Quadruple-treble Extremely rare stats in which a player chalks up double-digit numbers in four of the following: points, assists, steals, rebounds, blocks.
Quarter 10 minute period (12 minutes in the NBA). There are two in each half...
Quarterback Yet another name for the point-guard, this comes from American Football where the quarterback is the playmaker. Oddly enough, an NFL quarterback is never referred to as a point-guard..
R
Rebound 1. The ball bouncing off the back-board or rim after a missed shot or lay-up.
2. The act of catching the rebounding ball or tipping it to a team-mate. Rebounding is an essential skill of a team's inside players and is equally important in offence and defence.
Roll (or Reverse) A move by an offensive player trying to escape his marker. He advances towards the defender then abruptly changes direction. Often done in combination with a team-mate (see pick-and-roll).
S
Safety man A guard who drops back during an offensive move to defend against a fast break if his team loses possession.
Sag A defender dropping off his man to join a team-mate in a double team against another attacking player, usually under the basket.
Salary Cap A League rule that limits a club's total season salary bill in an attempt to keep some equality between the rich and the not-so-rich clubs - the current Budweiser League cap is £150,000.
Also: a joke.
Scissor Play in which two attacking players swap positions across the key in front of the player in possession in an attempt to throw the defence off balance.
Screen An offensive player can free a team-mate for a drive, pass or shot by "setting a screen". Basically, this means positioning himself so as to (legally) impede the defender. One example of a screen is the pick-and-roll play although a screen is often set way off the ball.
Set play A team's set plays are the attacking moves that they rehearse in training and use in a game, usually triggered by a signal from the point guard or the coach. There are countless variations of offensive moves and a coach's "play-book" will contain the best of them - although no two play-books are the same...
Set up To get in position, either in offence or defence.
Shooting guard The off-guard, a three-point shot specialist. See "Players" for more on player positions.
Shot clock A clock (usually displayed on two LEDs at either end of the court) that starts once a team gains possession. The team must make an attempt to score (i.e. take a shot that goes in or hits the rim or backboard) before the clock counts down (30 seconds in all competition except the NBA - 24 seconds). The clock is stopped for rules infringements where possession will remain with the attacking side.
Shuffle

Same as motion offence.

Sideline ball Like a throw-in in soccer. See "the rules" for more information.
Sixth man The first substitute off the bench. Rich clubs can rotate seven or eight players during a game. Poorer clubs depend on a solid "sixth man" to allow the starting five some towel-over-the-head time.
Sky-hook A hook shot where the ball is released at the very top of the arc of the shooter's arm. Used to devastating effect by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (NBA all-time career point scorer).
Sky walk The apparent ability to move sideways in the air. Watch some Michael Johnson videos for examples...
Slam dunk A crowd-pleasing dunk where the ball is slammed aggressively into the basket, usually followed by the scorer hanging onto the hoop for a second or so ("in contravention of the rules" says Andy Anorak).
Slide The defender's answer to the pick or screen where he tries to follow the player that he's marking and also get by the player attempting to impede him.
Small Forward Also known as the #3. The"smaller" of the two forwards - See "The Game" for more on player positions.
Stall Slow play down, play down the shot clock. Same as freeze.
Steal To gain possession either by taking the ball from a dribbling player or by cutting off a pass.
Strong side The side of the court in which a team has possession - there will normally be three players on the strong side.
Switch Like the slide, this is a defensive move where two players swap the players they are defending. Often used when the attacking side has set a screen, preventing a defender from marking his man.
T
Tie up The outcome of a successful close defence where the defenders have achieved a held-ball situation or forced the player in possession to violate the five second rule (a closely guarded player must shoot, pass or dribble within that time).
Tip The start of a game (usually "tip-off") or simply the act of tapping the ball towards a team-mate - for example when intercepting an opposition pass. To "tip-in" is to tap a missed shot into the basket.
Ten seconds The time allowed to bring the ball into the front-court.
Thirty-seconds The time allowed from initial possession until a shot must be attempted (the shot must at least hit the rim or backboard).
Three-point play An offensive play where the player makes the basket and also draws a foul to give him the chance of the bonus shot from the free-throw line.
Three-point shot A successful shot from outside the arc marked around the basket. Although this is now an integral part of the game, the three-pointer is quite a recent addition to the game (NBA 1989, college ball 1987).
Three seconds The time allowed an offensive player to occupy the opposition key.
Trailer A player following up behind an attacking team-mate in order to take a pass or grab a rebound.
Transition The change from offence to defence, or vice versa. Fast, disciplined transition play is a vital team skill.
Trap To double-team a player, pinning him down in a corner or along the sideline.
Travelling A violation that involves moving with the ball without dribbling, either having just received the ball or having stopped dribbling and taking more than the single pace allowed.
Triple-double

Fairly rare game statistic where a player get double digits in three categories from: assists, steals, points, rebounds and blocks.
Triple-threat Basic basketball stance: the player assumes a position that would allow him to shoot, pass or roll thus a) allowing him these options and b) forcing the guarding player to second-guess him.
Turnover Lose possession.
W
Walking Same as travelling.
Weak side Opposite of strong side - the side of the court where a team usually has two players and no ball...
Z
Zone defence An offensive system (banned in the NBA) where a player guards a section of the court, rather than a specific opponent. The guarded zones can cover the whole court (full court zone defence) or a limited area, typically the key in a 2-3 zone defence.

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