Ready With Your NCAA Basketball 09 Rosters?

Sports aficionados who would still want to play more basketball even after one whole day of playing basketball should get a load of this. NCAA Basketball 09 is almost here! Yes, PS3 and Xbox360 enthusiasts are given more chance to enjoy their game consoles with this fun heart-pumping game. It's available for pre-ordering like many NCAA Basketball lovers, you don't want to miss it.

What? You've just pre-ordered? Amazing! What now? What if you want to be assured that you will only get the most out this game? To accomplish this, you have to make sure that you have all the important accessories and your rosters are properly named or accurate. What exactly are rosters? Like the real game of NCAA basketball, these are the teams. In the console game, these are files that you need your game to be updated with to make your game more realistic.

So how do you get these rosters? You can download these from sites offering lists of rosters. However, this can be very time-consuming that it can take you days and even weeks if you don't do it properly.

Here's how to download NCAA Basketball rosters. Your console should be connected to your PS3 network or Xbox. Open NCAA basketball 09 then press Start when it appears. Okay, you find these too technical or you simply don't have the time to do any of this? No problem. There are helpful e-commerce sites that will provide this service for you.

But the problem is how do you know if you will only be given the best roster downloads or if you'll be fooled with their crappy downloads? basketball are some important notes to avoid getting ripped off by download services that don't deliver:

a. Check the testimonials - you can research what people say about these sites that provide roster download services.

b. Check the price - it should not be too costly and not too low-priced really.

c. Check the longevity of the service - if they've been providing this service for quite some time, chances are they've been doing something right.

It's just a matter of following your intuitions and what the NCAA Basketball 09 community is saying about the service. Have fun!

Playing NCAA Basketball 09 will be more fun if you have downloaded the most accurate NCAA Basketball 09 rosters. Learn what your options are.

Basketball Shooting Tips and Advice

When it comes to basketball subject of shooting, there is a lot of basketball advice out there. It can be overwhelming for young players to absorb all the information they come across and then implement it when they get on the court. For this article I have tried to simplify the topic as much as possible and cover the key elements of good shooting.

Positioning of Feet and Body

The best shooters will start by shooting just 2-3 feet from the basket when they begin warming up. If you are trying to obtain a new shot, this is the best way to learn it. Start from 2-3 feet, not the 3 point line. Get directly in front of the basket, don't start from the side or try banking shots. Start from directly in from because you'll want to swish each shot. We start from the feet up first and that is by getting your feet shoulder width apart with your knees flexed a little bit. I put one foot slightly ahead of the other. I am right handed so it's my right foot I place forward. If you are left handed it would be the left foot that you would place in front. As we move up to our shoulders, make sure that your shoulders are in balance or squared to your hips. If I am raising my arms to shoot the ball, I need to make sure that my body is in balance and aligned. I don't want to be tipping to a side or tipping too far forward. I need to be in balance with the weight of my body on the balls of my feet.

Hands

This is something that isn't taught as well as it should be. Players are usually decent at the legs and shoulders, but terrible when it comes to the hands. You might have read about me referring to players as thumb shooters in other articles. These are players that use their off hand thumb to help propel the ball toward the basket. These players are typically very streaky in their shots because the shot rarely repeats the same release. Take the ball with one hand at first and shoot from 2-3 feet away but don't use your off hand to help yet. Make sure that you are keeping your elbow in and getting the proper rotation on the ball. For practice, make sure that you are shooting the ball from the logo on the ball so you can see the rotation you should be getting. The ball should be shot from your pointer finger and middle finger. If the ball is coming off the last three fingers then you need to do some adjusting before you bring up your off hand. Once your release is solid, then stay at the 2-3 foot range and bring up the off hand. Your off hand elbow should stay in as well and only guide the ball. Make sure that the rotation stays the same by using the guide hand. If you notice the rotation is different or the ball is coming off your shooting hand different, then stop and start over without the guide hand. Nothing should change by using the guide hand.

Aim

This is a great debate as some coaches say to aim for the back of the rim and others on the front of the rim. I believe that is best to aim at the back rim. In my opinion it is better to miss long because throughout the game you will get tired and the ball will be there when you need it. The important thing is to have a spot that you are aiming for and focusing on. Don't think about missing it. Think about making the shot and having a positive attitude. Remember that shooting is like golf in that you would rather miss long than short, you want to give the ball a chance to go in. When you leave it short, it has zero chance of going in.

Jump Shots

The jump shot is one of the most basic fundamentals in basketball. It differs from a set shot in that the player jumps in the air before releasing the ball. For a young player, this is very awkward to accomplish. Don't start too young to shoot these if you aren't ready. I believe that a jump shot started at too young of an age can lead to poor mechanics. What happens is kids aren't basketball enough yet to get the ball to the basket from far away and because they have to strain themselves they develop poor habits that are hard to get rid of. A good jump shot is learned from inside the free throw line, not at the 3 point line. One of the prettiest shots I've seen in a long time is from JJ Redick. He obeys all the correct rules. Balanced feet, square shoulders and his off hand is strictly used just to guide the ball. He gets excellent rotation on the ball and shoots the ball above his head where he can see the basket with both eyes. Other great shooters, like Larry Bird followed those same principles. Bird's shot wasn't as pretty as Redick's, but his release was flawless. It came off the right part of the hand and he could see the basket with both eyes. It was simply amazing to watch up close. I say this a lot, but if your elbow is straight when you shoot the ball will probably go straight. Let's not make it any more difficult than it already is.

Lay-Ups

I was horrible at lay-ups growing up. I cost myself hundreds of points because I couldn't make one. I felt it was important enough to cover some of the fundamentals of a solid lay-up.

When I was 12 years old, I went to a basketball camp where the coach filmed us driving in for a lay-up. I was just getting over my lay-up phobia and was ok with being filmed as I thought I was the man. When we watched the tapes we were all amazed at a simple flaw some of us were doing. When we would come in for the lay-up we would bring the ball to the other side of our bodies before we brought it up to shoot with the correct hand. I was worse than everyone at this. By doing this, I was giving the defender the opportunity to slap the ball away or simply knock it away from me. I learned also that this was a major reason I was so bad at lay-ups in the previous years.

When you are shooting a lay-up make sure you are concentrating on using proper footwork. If you are on the right side, typically you will use the left foot to jump off and vice versa from the other side. For younger players this is honestly a major challenge. Young players don't be alarmed if this isn't natural for you right away. Lastly, don't take off too far away from the basket or too late. This can only be learned by practicing and knowing what your personal limitations are. I've recently learned that my limitations have changed as I've gotten older. No fun.

Brian Schofield is a writer for a basketball skills website called HoopSkills.com.

The Latest Info on Basketball Memorabilia

Basketball Memorabilia remains one of the most attractive items in a collector's arsenal. Before shopping for such memorabilia, make sure that you are basketball to differentiate between a genuine item and a fake one. Remember! NBA endorses its logo on all collectibles sold. The logo contains a figure of Jerry West with red and blue background. The logo is not prominent the very first time. It is obscure and usually printed at the back of T-shirts and other items. NBA items with full team autographs are much more in demand rather than a single autographed basketball.

It is therefore necessary that you find time to go in the community events of your favorite teams to get your basketball or whatever NBA item signed by the entire team. It might take some time to get the basketball signed by the entire squad but it is worth the effort. Basketball Memorabilia collectors should always keep an eye on the anniversary events. You can always collect items at a great basketball In fact this anniversary event provides the best value for money. Don't limit yourself to a specific item but instead look to generate interest by collecting a variety of items including NBA basketballs, Jersey, Nets and cards. It will certainly boost the overall worth of the collection.

You can also consult one of your neighborhood stores to get the insider information on the collectibles. Owners of such stores are always willing to share information with their regular clients. The Basketball Hall of fame in Massachusetts is a great source to buy authentic products at a reasonable price. The basketball memorabilia from 1940's and 1950's are unique as they come from various teams that no longer exist. These vintage items are a rare and exclusive commodity that every basketball collector will cherish.

Article authored by Reese Lakwatche. Now you can learn all you wanted about NCAA Collectibles and even Basketball Memorabilia.

Who Invented Basketball

Unusually, for team sports, it is known exactly who invented basketball and exactly when it was invented. It is more usual for such a sport basketball have just evolved and have no clear starting point and no name for an actual inventor of the game.

It was a Mr James A Naismith who invented basketball. He was born on November 6th 1861 and died on November 28th 1939. He was born a Canadian near Ontario in the Ramsay township. His parents were Scottish immigrants who had crossed the Atlantic in around 1851. His father, John, was involved in the mining industry. As a youngster, James was always athletic and was a great gymnast. He also played football for McGill University where he was studying physical education. After gaining a BA in the subject, James attended the Presbyterian College in Montreal and went on to gain a Diploma.

After his studies, James Naismith started working as a teacher at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was whilst he was here that he was asked to come up with a game for the students that could be played indoors. He had various stipulations to work to regarding the size of the room and the number of people etc. He remembered playing a game by the name of "duck on a rock" as a child and decided to implement some of the ideas into his new game. The game involved two teams with nine players in each team, a ball and two peach baskets - one nailed to each end of the gymnasium. The principle was simple; you had to pass the ball to your team members and then score a goal by throwing it into the peach basket. The game was an instant success and the name of James Naismith has gone down in history as the man who invented basketball.

In January of 1892, just a month after having been asked to devise a game, James Naismith published the rules of the game. These rules were very similar to the ones of today's game. The main basketball was the lack of dribbling. At this point the ball was just thrown between the players. Although it was Naismith who invented basketball and wrote the rulebook, dribbling, which is one of the most important aspects these days, actually just evolved as time went by. Another interesting difference in the rules is the possession ruling for when the ball is out of play. In Naismith's original rule book the ball became the possession of whoever retrieved it first!

It is great to know the history of the game and to have so many details regarding how it came to exist. James Naismith is indeed remembered as not only the man who invented basketball, but also a great gymnast and sportsman in his own right. He is also high thought of for his continued support of his game and his work to bring basketball into the schools and colleges of the nation.

Robert Grazian is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about basketball visit Basketball History Site for current articles and discussions.