Past, Present, and Future: the history of basketball

The first basketball game ever played consisted of a freezing day, peach baskets, and a soccer ball. But looking back, there’s a clear resemblance to today’s game.

Basketball’s story started in the final years of the 1800s, when James Naismith, a physical education teacher from Canada, noticed his students were often bored by the cold and snowy weather outside. He nailed two peach baskets on each end of the gym to the balconies, and explained the main objective of the game to his students. The objective was the same as it is now: throw the ball into the other team’s basket. Naismith established a set of 13 rules, some of which are still part of the game today. He contacted the sports equipment company Spalding in 1894 to start manufacturing special balls for his game, and the balls have continued to shape the basketball game we know today.

Retrieving the ball from the peach basket was a challenge, so nets were adopted in 1912 to make the ball easier to access after a basket. Soon, the backboard was also invented in order to prevent fans standing on the balcony from blocking the ball’s trajectory and interfering with the game.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) was founded in 1946 and has undergone several mergers and expansions to reach its current state. One of the most noticeable features on the court is the three-point line, a change introduced for the start of the 1979–1980 season and adopted by high schools eight years later.

The Lancers have had a storied history in boy’s basketball, capturing the Central Coast Section (CCS) title in 14 seasons since CCS hoops began in 1968. Five of those teams have even found their way into the Saint Francis Athletics Hall of Fame.

However, the Lancers have been off to a rocky start in West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL) play this year. They’ve shown promise outside league play, going 8-3 in non-league games, but have lost all six WCAL games they have played so far. Four seniors, all of whom played on varsity last year, are now leading the team. Luke Alexander (’26) is second for the Lancers in scoring, averaging double-digit points on the season to go with four rebounds and a steal per game. Ayaan Bawa (’26) leads the team with five rebounds per game, adding seven points per game this season so far. The most promising player has been Devin Turner (’27), who leads the team in scoring with 11.5 points per game on the season, along with a solid three assists and two rebounds per game. Weston Edwards (’28) has also been a strong player, scoring 16 points in a recent matchup against Junipero Serra High School, tacking on to his ten points per game on the season.