International Basketball Tournament

The International Basketball Tournament started in 1999 in the Bahamas, and has taken off in worldwide popularity. The rules and format of the tournament has changed over the past eight years and has been played in six different sites.

Infobox sports league
title = International Basketball Tournament (IBT)
|300px
Img_capt = Official logo: 1999-pres.
sport=Basketball
founded=1999
teams=40 countries

The Game

The International Basketball Tournament is a shooting tournament, matching the best shooters from 40 countries against each other every May. Despite changes, there has always been a takeout shot; a set shot that contestants take after his opponent makes a basket. The winner of the tournament hosts the succeeding tournament the very next year. This is about all that has stayed consistent with the tournament, having changed besically everything about it over the course of eight years.

Changes in Gameplay and Format

1999: Takeout shot taken 17 feet away from the basket and two feet off center. The game was played to twenty points. All made baskets counted for two points. The ranking to the contestants was completely random, and byes were chosen at random as well. The tournament was played in double-elimination format.

2001: Takeout shot was moved to a slightly raised location 20 feet away from the basket and 8 feet off center. The shootout was introduced to rank the teams 1-40 based on how many shots each contestant made. The shootout was created to favor the contestants with higher rankings with shot advantage and bye priority.

2005: All shots crossing the line to the left of the takeout shot are considered dead and are to be taken at the point of where it exited the playing field.

2007: Shots crossing the 20 foot line to the right of the basket are now worth three points, and shots across the 30 foot line are now worth four points. Games are now to be played to forty points. The format has been changed to include four different regions of ten teams apiece, and will be played in bracket form similar to the NCAA basketball tournament.

The American Basketball Tournament (ABT)

Following the 10th annual tournament to take place in Lima, Peru, the dimensions of the IBT will be declassified and countries will be free to host their own tournaments. The United States has already organized such a tournament to be played in September and October, starting in 2008. It will consist of a unique bracket style format with five regions consisting of the fifty states.

Some of the basic rules are as follows:20 point games.Boundaries will be the same as the IBT, including the 3 and 4 point rules.Each bracket will have its own day in the regional quarterfinals, but the rest of the rounds will all be played on the same day.

Notes