Does court size make a difference?

BigK72

Well-known member
With the discussion of the Old Basketball Gym, it got me thinking.

I know most schools have the 84 foot court, which is considered HS
Some schools have the 94 foot court, which is considered College

The questions are.

1. Does any Varsity program still play on a gym <84 feet?

Bigger Question is does it matter? Do schools that play predominately on the High School size court struggle if/when they get to the bigger court; especially when the tournament starts?

Do schools that have a college size court or predominately play on one struggle on the smaller court when they have to play on them?
 
 
Big difference between an 84-ft and 94-ft court in how it impacts how you play defense. You get tired quicker running a full court press on a 94-ft court. A 94-ft court also promotes a more up-and-down game. On an 84-ft court, it's easier to trap and it's easier to pressure in half court man-to-man.
 
Big difference between an 84-ft and 94-ft court in how it impacts how you play defense. You get tired quicker running a full court press on a 94-ft court. A 94-ft court also promotes a more up-and-down game. On an 84-ft court, it's easier to trap and it's easier to pressure in half court man-to-man.
You were thinking mostly same as I.

I would say if you are a half court, deliberate offensive minded team that plays only zone defense, you won't notice the extra 10 feet as that is simply three more steps occuring at a jogging pace mid court when in transition.

If you like to pressure the ball on defense, look for the 3 on 2 fast break on offense, those extra 10 feet really add up over the course of the game.

Not sure how long Darke Counties Tri Village old court was but I would guess in the 60 feet range, with 6 feet too narrow. They had some big kids who could get up and down the floor with the best of them at home, then they would face the same team in the tournament on the University of Dayton's floor and look like they gained 20 lbs each, struggling to keep up.

So yes, size matters, sometimes it matters alot, just depends on the way you intend to play the game.
 
On the Tri Village court mentioned above, if I recall correctly, half court was not half court in the game. You had to advance the ball almost to the foul line in order to be considered across the time line, then you could pass the ball back to almost the foul line of the basket you were defending without getting an over and back violation. Due to the short court I recall scores in the 130 range a few times.
 
On the Tri Village court mentioned above, if I recall correctly, half court was not half court in the game. You had to advance the ball almost to the foul line in order to be considered across the time line, then you could pass the ball back to almost the foul line of the basket you were defending without getting an over and back violation. Due to the short court I recall scores in the 130 range a few times.
Are you referring to the court that was in the auditorium? Yeah that court is REALLY small. I can't believe they used that up until like 90 or 91.
 
You were thinking mostly same as I.

I would say if you are a half court, deliberate offensive minded team that plays only zone defense, you won't notice the extra 10 feet as that is simply three more steps occuring at a jogging pace mid court when in transition.

If you like to pressure the ball on defense, look for the 3 on 2 fast break on offense, those extra 10 feet really add up over the course of the game.

Not sure how long Darke Counties Tri Village old court was but I would guess in the 60 feet range, with 6 feet too narrow. They had some big kids who could get up and down the floor with the best of them at home, then they would face the same team in the tournament on the University of Dayton's floor and look like they gained 20 lbs each, struggling to keep up.

So yes, size matters, sometimes it matters alot, just depends on the way you intend to play the game.

On the surface, I knew obviously the extra 10 feet mattered because of what you mentioned.

Does it mess with teams in today's game that goes back and forth? I know the WOAC has 4 college length courts, so I guess that goes into your gameplan as to WHERE you're playing instead of just WHO.
 
The court mentioned above sounds similar to a few different old Springfield Shawnee and Tecumseh middle schools that I played in in junior high...once you advanced the ball into the frontcourt, due to the small size of the court the over-and-back line was the free throw line in the backcourt. Those floors were probably a good 6-7 feet too narrow as well.

Court size I think does make a big difference. I've been helping at a school that just opened a new building this year with a 94 foot floor. The (very) old previous high school that was built in the 50s I believe had a 78 foot court. The extra length makes a huge difference as the game goes on if you want to play at a more up and down pace with extended pressure and trying to push the tempo. A couple years ago we got into the 80s and 90s 2-3 times on the 78 foot court. So far this year we are struggling to get into the 60s with better offensive personnel trying to play the same up and down style of game on the 94 foot court. Opponent probably plays some role, but we are averaging 4-5 points fewer per game at home than playing on typically 84 foot courts on the road.
 
Are you referring to the court that was in the auditorium? Yeah that court is REALLY small. I can't believe they used that up until like 90 or 91.
That probably is the court. I played there in the 80's, enough years ago my mind is not entirely clear on the exact location and surroundings. But the court dimensions I can still see clearly in my head.
 
On the surface, I knew obviously the extra 10 feet mattered because of what you mentioned.

Does it mess with teams in today's game that goes back and forth? I know the WOAC has 4 college length courts, so I guess that goes into your gameplan as to WHERE you're playing instead of just WHO.
I think it does mess with them to go back and forth. There is one school that schedules nearly all of their home games in the second half of the season. I've never asked why/how they schedule the way they do but often figured floor length played a significant role in their approach. They have a college size floor and the repeated competition on that floor, having a team that pressures the ball or presses continually regardless of the score, prepares them for the tournament getting spacing, conditioning and offensive positioning down much easier than if they constantly went back and forth between small gym and regulation gym size.
 
That actually makes a lot of sense and very mindful of the coach.

I wonder if OHSAA will ever come out and make ALL competition be played on 94 ft courts. I know this is the case for tournaments.

It's always amazed me that basketball doesn't have a regulated size.
 
That actually makes a lot of sense and very mindful of the coach.

I wonder if OHSAA will ever come out and make ALL competition be played on 94 ft courts. I know this is the case for tournaments.

It's always amazed me that basketball doesn't have a regulated size.
That's not true. Sectionals are played at home courts so there are a lot still on 84' courts and not every District is on a 94' court. I would guess that by the time they get to Regionals that they are likely all on 94' courts
 
I found this to be an interesting thread. It got me to thinking back to the gyms we played in back in the 50s, graduated 58, in Morrow and. Marion counties here in central Ohio. At Sparta the backboards were flat against the wall. No out of bounds either end or along the side of the gym where the stage was. LaRue the center jump circle, the inner one, 3 feet, was one foot from the top of the foul circle on each end of the floor. The backboards were three 12 inch wide boards, 36 inch tall height, painted white. Chesterville had a tile type floor. Floor burns were hell. Morral and Cardington had folding glass doors at one end, like the one school in Hoosiers. Iberia had a stage along one side of the court with no out of bounds. Mount Gilead and Cardington had the biggest courts. I think they were the 94 foot size. The Morrow county tournament was played at the Marion coliseum as was the Marion county tournament. Point of this rambling is that nearly every basketball court in those two rural counties was small in those days.
 
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That actually makes a lot of sense and very mindful of the coach.

I wonder if OHSAA will ever come out and make ALL competition be played on 94 ft courts. I know this is the case for tournaments.

It's always amazed me that basketball doesn't have a regulated size.
Will they help spring for a new gym?
 
There are gyms in Ohio and across the country that are 40-50-60 years old and more, there is no way there is ever going to be a standard size court. My guess is all tournament games are played on the larger floors as possible. There are even some schools that still have the old "stage" style basketball facility that is also a multi-purpose room with theater seating.

I think one requirement is probably more the width of the court than the length. Imagine a court where you can't shoot a 3 in the corner because there isn't enough room for your feet.
 
It might the state is building new schools all the time.
A lot of schools are passing on the new gym because the state wants to build it half the size (or less) than what they already have...so they just skip it an put the money elsewhere. The schools can kick in $$$ on their own to upgrade from what the state is offering, but a lot of smaller schools can't afford to do that.
 
A lot of schools are passing on the new gym because the state wants to build it half the size (or less) than what they already have...so they just skip it an put the money elsewhere. The schools can kick in $$$ on their own to upgrade from what the state is offering, but a lot of smaller schools can't afford to do that.
Are you talking about floor size or seating? I'm just going off local experience, but it seems like most schools in my area are going for the larger gym. In Darke County Arcanum and Franklin-Monroe have built new schools/gyms in the last 10-12 years and both have 94' floors. Tri-Village just announced a new athletic center on their campus, which will also have the bigger floor.
 
That's not true. Sectionals are played at home courts so there are a lot still on 84' courts and not every District is on a 94' court. I would guess that by the time they get to Regionals that they are likely all on 94' courts
Not in SW Ohio. Neutral sites for the entire tournament.
 
Another factor that gets overlooked with the larger floor is the rims. At college level courts, and at a growing number of high school courts that sport the larger dimensions, you are seeing baskets with a lot of space behind them, mostly due to the larger venues. This makes for a very different shooting experience for players, as the background is different. A lot of teams that rely on shooting, especially 3's, will tend to struggle in the tournament when the games move to the college venues.
 
Another factor that gets overlooked with the larger floor is the rims. At college level courts, and at a growing number of high school courts that sport the larger dimensions, you are seeing baskets with a lot of space behind them, mostly due to the larger venues. This makes for a very different shooting experience for players, as the background is different. A lot of teams that rely on shooting, especially 3's, will tend to struggle in the tournament when the games move to the college venues.
Shooting is different at every single venue you play at other than your home gym, so you have to adjust. Oak Hills has a glass wall behind one of the baskets. That gym was harder to shoot in than any of the college arenas.
 
Shooting is different at every single venue you play at other than your home gym, so you have to adjust. Oak Hills has a glass wall behind one of the baskets. That gym was harder to shoot in than any of the college arenas.
True, but your typical average high school gym has a wall 15-20ft behind the basket and usually white.
 
That actually makes a lot of sense and very mindful of the coach.

I wonder if OHSAA will ever come out and make ALL competition be played on 94 ft courts. I know this is the case for tournaments.

It's always amazed me that basketball doesn't have a regulated size.
OHSAA which can’t enforce the Regis it has is going to mandate construction of new gyms? Really?
 
It absolutely matters especially depending on the style of play your HS team has. If you are a full court or even half court trapping style of team, it's a hugh advantage on the smaller court. Again, especially if you are a big, long, athletic team that likes to press or trap.
 
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