Women Get the Full Court
1971 to 1972 season. Five players, a 30-second clock and the end of the split court
For most of the 20th century, American women played a different game from men. From 1938 the official rules used six players a side on a court split in two. Three forwards scored and three guards defended, and nobody could cross the half-court line. From 1949, players could only bounce the ball twice before passing or shooting.
The rules slowly opened up. In 1962 each team was allowed two "rovers" who could play the whole court. In 1966 the unlimited dribble became official, which made the game much faster. Then, after two experimental seasons that proved highly popular, the five-player, full-court game with a 30-second shot clock became official for the 1971 to 1972 season.
The official rules history says the women's game had come almost full circle, back to the game Naismith designed. Some high school associations kept six-on-six for decades longer: Iowa until 1993 and Oklahoma until 1995.
What changed
Every player now had to attack, defend and handle the ball. With a full court and a 30-second clock, women's teams could press, run the fast break and build complete five-player offenses.