Basketball

A NEW SPIRIT POINT SYSTEM IS IN TOWN. At the Sport and Social Club, ‘improvement’ is the name of the game. We are constantly seeking feedback from our players because our Club wouldn’t be our Club without you. Over the past several months, our team has been working on a full overhaul of our Spirit Point System to better match what our players value most, and to make our processes for managing sportsmanship issues at league nights cleaner and faster. This past Winter 2023 season, several divisions were selected to trial the new system and provide their feedback. Their feedback?

You asked, we listened. Until recently, the ESSC rulebook included several modifications from the standard FIBA rules. While this served us well for many years, we felt it was time to make the switch to the game of Basketball we all grew up watching! Coming soon, in Spring 2020.

Let’s review the new and improved gameplay rules for our Recreational and Recreational Plus leagues. 

3-Point Shots 
ALL: Traditional rules

Was your childhood dream to be drafted in the NBA?! Like many of us, being chosen for a professional sports team was all we thought about during math class. Cameras flashing, the crowd cheering your name, and shaking hands with the General Manager would have been all too sweet!

While our Draft may not be quite as glamourous, we are love this offering. If you are new to the city, played Basketball when you were younger, want to get out to meet new people, or looking for some cardio without hitting the gym - whatever the reason, the Draft League is the right choice for you.

Rate your GC! GCs are an essential part of the Sport and Social Club. They assist in providing a great environment for you to enjoy your sporting needs. Here at the SSC world headquarters we have developed a way to help involve our players in sport improvements through the new GC rating system. A lot of you have already been submitting ratings after games and we thank you for that!

Whether you are a veteran ESSCer or are new to the Club, you know that all of our leagues are self-officiated. Yes, we run our leagues this way on purpose, and no, it’s not because we don’t want to deal with the added cost of a referee.

The ESSC is above all a fun-first league that focuses on “play”; namely, “adult play.” We always position ourselves in this way and we truly believe in our fun-first, winning-second philosophy. We also believe that most adults can regulate themselves appropriately in play, so why give someone a babysitter when they don’t need it?

We all know those games that come down to the very last play. Every time a team scores, someone new takes the lead while the opposition plays that much harder in attempt to score another basket. Those final moments are crucial – one misplay could cost your team the win. But what happens if the GC calls the end of the game and the score is tied?

When I was growing up, there was only one face that came to mind when thinking about ‘great Canadian basketball players’: Steve Nash. When you compile his records, championships, and awards, the man finds himself with a very impressive resume. But he’s old news! Today, we see so many stars dispersed all over the NBA who are making their way to the top of the rankings, and they were all born right here on Canadian soil.

After any stoppage in play, the ball must be thrown in from the out-of-bounds line to resume the game. But you can’t just grab the ball and throw it in from anywhere – there are a few rules to follow.

To start, let’s make sure everyone knows what it means to check the ball. All the offensive team needs to do is take the ball out of bounds, pass the ball to their defender, who then passes it back. That’s a check.

Here are the most common examples:

Being in a self-officiated sport, it can be a bit nerve-wracking to know that you are in charge of calling both your own fouls as well as your opponents. We’ll go through a list of common violations to ensure you’re all experts out there and know what to keep an eye out for!

Kicking the Ball

We all know Basketball is a fast-paced game. You’ve got players running up and down the court, cutting left and right, setting screens, driving to the basket… We get it, sometimes you need to take a breather. However if you’re going to stop moving your feet, be aware of where you’re standing!