Sports Corner

By Lauren Tetteh-Wayoe

The first semester of athletics is coming to a close, athletics will have a one-month break for finals and the holidays. Thank you all for your support so far this season! Here are the standings going into semester two: Women's Basketball 9 Wins - 0 Losses Ranked: #1 in the North Men's Basketball 5 Wins - 4 Losses Ranked: #3 in the North Men's Hockey 6 Wins - 5 Losses - 1 Tie Ranked: #5 overall Women's Volleyball 2 Wins - 8 Losses Ranked: #5 in the North Men's Volleyball3 Wins - 7 Losses Ranked: #6 in the North. If you don’t know much about sports then this break is this is the perfect time to learn. With one month to prepare,I have made a guide to becoming the ultimate basketball fan. There are still a lot of games left next semester and they should be fun, especially with more beer gardens happening… stay tuned! An average basketball game is two hours long. It is composed of four quarters that are ten minutes each as well as one half-time which is 15 minutes long. The quarters are all stopped time meaning that whenever the play is stopped, so is the timer. Scoring: -All shots taken within the blue semi-circle = 2 points -All shots taken outside of the blue semi-circle (the three-point line) = 3 points -When a player fouls1 another player as they are attempting to score and the player misses the basket, they are awarded two free throw shots 2 -When a player fouls1another player as they are attempting to score and the player still makes the basket, this is an “and-one”. This means that the player gets those two points plus a free throw opportunity -The opposing team only has 24 seconds to shoot the ball before the buzzer goes off and the defending team gets the ball back -This “shot clock” resets every time the opposing team throws up a shot and it hits the rim Now for the most important part - when to cheer: -When a Concordia player scores a basket -When a pass from the opposing team is intercepted -When the Concordia team is on defence and the shot clock runs out for the other team When to cheer even louder: -If someone dunks -If a player on your team gets an “and-one” -If Concordia is on defence and a player gets a block3. If a player scores a buzzer beater4 There is always something to cheer for in basketball, it is a very fast and high-scoring game. There is only really one time you shouldn’t cheer: -as your team is shooting a free throw (the crowd goes silent so that player can focus) 1. Foul: Unsportsmanlike behaviour and/or illegal contact with an opposing player (one player can only foul five times before they are ejected from the game) 2. Free throw shot: A shot taken from the top of the key (the rectangle under the basket) with no interference from other players. 3. Block: Stopping a player from scoring a basket by hitting the ball away without fouling them.4.Buzzer beater: when a team is losing or tied and a player scores right before the time is up, making it so they now have the most points and win the game Those are the basics of basketball. I hope it was educational enough that you feel like could be able to come out and cheer for a game. The first game back is happening on January 13th here at Concordia! Just a reminder to always be respectful to both teams, the coaches, and the referees anytime that you are watching a game.