Meaning & use
basketball backcourt
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Meanings
nounsingular
The half of the court that a team defends, away from the basket it attacks.
Grammar: Usually takes "the" and is not counted: the backcourt. The opposite half is "the frontcourt."
Patterns
- in the backcourt
- bring the ball up the backcourt
- the backcourt press
Their guards like to trap opponents deep in the backcourt.
He stole the ball in the backcourt and scored an easy layup.
The referee ruled that the pass was thrown from the backcourt.
nounsingular
The two guard positions on a team, especially the point guard and the shooting guard.
Grammar: Refers to a pair of players as one unit: the backcourt, so it takes a singular verb when treated as a group.
Patterns
- a strong backcourt
- start in the backcourt
- the team's backcourt
Their backcourt scored 45 points between them.
The coach is looking for a taller player to strengthen the backcourt.
Injuries have left the backcourt short of experienced ball handlers.
nouncountable
A violation in which a team carries the ball back across the half-court line after moving it forward.
Grammar: Countable, and often used with "called" or "commit": the referee called a backcourt.
Patterns
- commit a backcourt violation
- called for a backcourt
- a backcourt turnover
The point guard was called for a backcourt violation.
They lost possession on a backcourt turnover late in the game.
A backcourt call gave the other team the ball under their own basket.
Word forms
| plural | backcourts |
|---|
Common combinations
- the backcourt violation
- The referee signaled a backcourt violation after the pass went backward.
- pressure in the backcourt
- Their defense applies full pressure in the backcourt.
- bring the ball up the backcourt
- She brought the ball up the backcourt against tight marking.
- a backcourt player
- He is a backcourt player who rarely shoots from close range.
- the starting backcourt
- The starting backcourt combined for ten assists.
Synonyms and how they differ
- guard position
- Names one of the two roles played in the backcourt, rather than the area or the pair as a whole.
- defensive half
- A general way to describe the half a team defends; it fits any sport, not just basketball.
Opposites
Word family
- backcourtman noun
- A player who usually operates in the backcourt; a fairly rare term.
- frontcourt noun
- The half of the court near the basket a team attacks, or the forwards and center as a unit.
Commonly confused: basketball backcourt or half-court? basketball backcourt or backboard?
basketball backcourt vs half-court
Half-court refers to the middle line or to play that starts from midcourt; backcourt is the half a team defends, so the two describe different things.
basketball backcourt vs backboard
The backboard is the flat board behind the basket; it sounds similar but has nothing to do with the half of the court.
Practice
Which sentence uses "backcourt" correctly?
Choose one answer.
A backcourt violation happens when the ball is taken back across the half-court line, so option A fits. Option B confuses backcourt with backboard, the board behind the basket. Options C and D are grammatical but describe places or events that are not what the term means in the rules.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “basketball backcourt”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.