College Basketball

When we talk about basketball, we normally think about college basketball. This is particularly the American basketball competitive governance structure. The National Collegiate Athletic Association or the NCAA founded this structure of basketball.

History:
Basketball was invented by in 1891. The inventor, Dr. James Naismith, saw this game develop into a well-liked sport when the first recorded game was played [April 8, 1893]. This involved a college basketball team that played in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. A team from Geneva College played and beat the New Brighton YMCA.

The first intercollegiate match of basketball took place on February 9, 1895. This involved the Minnesota State School of Agriculture, which is now known as the University of Minnesota St. Paul campus. The other team that played was Hamline College that lost the game. The score was 9 to 3.

As the game developed further with the newer format involving 5 players per side, he first intercollegiate match of this kind took place at Iowa City, Iowa [January 18, 1896]. In this match, the University of Chicago beat the University of Iowa [15 to 12].

By the latter part of the 1900s, there were many college basketball teams that took part in various competitions at college level. This encouraged the development of leagues. Then, in 1906, the NCAA was established in Chicago [in 1906].

The very first Men's College Basketball Championship tournament under the NCAA was played in front of 5,500 fans in Evanston, Illinois [1939]. In this championship, Oregon defeated Ohio State [46 to 33] to take the national championship.

At that time, the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) was another significant tournament. It brought more importance and quality to the game’s standard. It had as much quality as the NCAA tournament, but with an East Coast or New York feel to it. It is worth noting that the NIT had been established a year before the NCAA held its first championship tournament. In the early 1950s, the NCAA tournament had taken over in importance. The NIT tournament turned into a postseason activity for teams that did not make it to the NCAA. Today, the NIT tournament is held at Madison Square Garden.

African-Americans and College Basketball:
Thirteen years after basketball was established as a sport, and after its exposure to Harvard University, Coach Edwin Henderson saw the game’s importance as a form of physical education. He introduced the sport as a physical education class at Howard University in Washington, D. C. Basketball was seen as the most popular sport among young African-Americans by 1910. It was a game that typically suited their build, as the taller you are, the more advantage you have with scoring points.

Basketball could be played on nearly all surfaces, and it was a convenient and fairly affordable sport to play. It could be played on basketball courts [indoors and outdoors], at parks as well as playgrounds. Basketball was introduced and promoted in the Young Men’s Christian Associations (YMCAs) in African American neighborhoods.

African Americans began playing basketball in high school by 1915. They played the sport in physical education classes, and also in college and university. Further, they also represented clubs that took part in major urban city tournaments. Lincoln University [Pennsylvania], Hampton University [Virginia], Wilberforce University [Ohio], and Virginia Union [Richmond] were some of the top-performing basketball teams at that time.

By 1916, the all-Black Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) was established. It united Shaw University (Raleigh, North Carolina), Virginia Union, Lincoln and Howard in competition.

In 1920, the all-Black Southeastern Athletic Conference was founded too. Eight years later, four all-Black regional conferences had been established.

Names such as, Wilbur Wood at Nebraska, Paul Robeson at Rutgers University, Fenwich Watkins at the University of Vermont and Cumberland Posey at Penn State and Duquesne were star names in basketball before 1914.

As time went by, and more progress was made in basketball, many black college basketball programs were renowned. Xavier University of Louisiana was noted for winning 67 games and losing only two in a four-year period [1934 – 1938].

Big time college basketball had its standards raised further in 1947, when William Garrett integrated it by joining the basketball program at Indiana University. It was this step that broke the barrier that prevented black players from reaching the Big Ten Conference. This conference was the most important one at that time. 

Further, in 1963, Loyola transformed college basketball forever when 4 African American players were included in the NCAA Championship game. Another milestone was noted when the Illinois State Redbirds hired Will Robinson as the first African-American head coach [1970]. Steps like these have allowed talented young men and women to achieve their deserved sporting positions.

College Basketball Tickets

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