Be the Referee: Basketball Measurements
By
Sam Davis
MHSAA Director of Officials
January 4, 2023
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment – Basketball Measurements - Listen
If you’ve seen the movie “Hoosiers,” you know that a basketball rim is 10 feet above the ground. That’s the same if you are in the gym at Beaver Island High School or at Little Caesars Arena. But what are the other court dimensions?
To start – courts are typically 84 feet long but can be up to 94 feet long. They are 50 feet wide.
The free throw line is 15 feet from the face of the backboard and the high school 3-point line is 19 feet, 9 inches from the basket.
Each hoop is a circle, 18 inches in diameter.
The boys play with a basketball 29½ inches in circumference, the girls with one 28½ inches in circumference.
And believe it or not, two girls balls will go through a standard rim at the same time.
Previous Editions:
Dec. 13: Pregame Dunks - Listen
Dec. 6: Gymnastics Judges - Listen
Nov. 22: Football Finals Replay - Listen
Nov. 15: Back Row Illegal Blocker - Listen
Nov. 8: Swim Turn Judges - Listen
Nov. 1: Soccer Referee Jersey Colors - Listen
Oct. 25: Cross Country Tie-Breaker - Listen
Oct. 18: Soccer Shootouts - Listen
Oct. 11: Safety in End Zone - Listen
Oct. 4: Football Overtime Penalty - Listen
Sept. 27: Kickoff Goal - Listen
Sept. 20: Soccer Timing - Listen
Sept. 13: Volleyball Replays - Listen
Sept. 6: Switching Sides - Listen
Aug. 30: Play Clock - Listen
Aug. 23: Intentional Grounding Change - Listen
Flashback 100: James Earl Jones, Dickson High Hoops to Hollywood Legend
September 13, 2024
Known for his roles in "Field of Dreams," "The Sandlot," "Star Wars," and several more, James Earl Jones graduated from Dickson High School in Brethren in 1949. During his senior year, he served as his class' vice president and wore number 27 on the varsity basketball team. He died on Sept. 9, at the age of 93.
Jones was born in Arkabutla, Miss., in 1931 and later moved to live with his grandparents in Dublin, Mich. After Dickson High School, Jones graduated from the University of Michigan – and he leant his iconic voice to the Wolverines years later for the hype video played before each home football game (watch here).
There is a life-sized bronze statue of Jones and his mentor, Donald Crouch, in Brethren. Jones struggled with a stutter and, with Crouch's help, overcame it and went on to a well-documented acting career. Jones won an Academy Award in 2011, Emmy Awards in 1990, 1991, and 2000, a Golden Globe Award in 1970, a Grammy Award in 1977, and Tony Awards in 1969, 1987 and 2017.
Dickson High School consolidated with Kaleva and Norman High Schools in 1964 into what is now Brethren High School.
Follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, and TikTok for more weekly "Flashback 100" photo features and additional content celebrating our 100th anniversary.
Previous "Flashback 100" Features
Sept. 6: Pioneers' Unstoppable Streak Stretches 9 Seasons - Read
Aug. 30: Detroit dePorres Rushes to 1995 Class CC Football Championship - Read
PHOTOS James Earl Jones is pictured alone and with his basketball teammates at Brethren Dickson. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.)