Twenty-one (basketball)

Twenty-one, also called 21, hustle, American, cutthrow, roughhouse or crunch, is a popular variation of street basketball. The game is played most often with three to five players on a half court, typically when not enough players are available to at least play three-on-three. However it is possible to play twenty-one with only two players, or more than five players. Twenty-one is an individual game that does not utilize team play.

1 Rules
- 1.1 Variations
2 Formal use
3 See also
4 References

Rules

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The rules and gameplay are often different regionally locally – even by specific court.

Instructions Difficulty: Easy

Have player 1 shoot an uncontested shot from the players choice(depending on skill), while players 2 and 3 position themselves for a possible rebound.
Allow player 1 to shoot uncontested free throws, up to three in a row or until he/she misses, if the initial shot was made.
Award player 1 possession of the ball at the top of the key if he/she makes all three free throws.
Understand that the ball goes "live" if player 1 misses a free-throw. Whoever rebounds the ball may shoot the ball.
Note that once a player has cleared the ball, he/she then tries to score a basket against the opposing players.
Know that when a player scores, he/she shoots uncontested free throws, up to three in a row or until he/she misses, at which point the play is "live" once more. Again, all rebounds must be cleared at the 3-point arch.
Have each player keep a mental count of her points: Free throws earn 1 point, baskets in "live" play are worth 2 points, and the initial shot of the entire game is worth 3 points.
Understand that the winner is the first player to reach 21 points exactly. If a player is at 20 and misses a free throw, that player's score is reduced to 11

Variations

Common additional rules include:

A player can attempt a 3-pointer in lieu of attempting three free throws.
Note that if you attempt a 3 point range freethrow,it's only worth 2 points, as each freethrow is worth 1 point each.
If a player who has 13 points misses the next shot, regardless of whether it is a free throw, then that player's points revert to 0. This is referred to as "poison points".
Whoever wins the game must shoot a 3-pointer in order to start with the ball at the beginning of the next game, and upon success receives the 3 points in the new game, does not get the free throws, but does have the ball and may shoot again.
Players with fewer than 13 points at the end of a game keep their points into the next game (a sort of handicapping system for when there is a wide variation in skill between the players).
"Tips" or "Taps" is an addition to Twenty-One. With these rules, if a player jumps up, gets a rebound in the air and makes a shot before touching the ground, the player who initially shot the ball is said to have been "tipped." In this situation, the tipper is awarded 3 points and resumes to shoot their post-goal free throws, and the one being tipped reverts to 0 if their score is under 14, otherwise they will revert to 14. If a player gets tipped 3 times, they are out of the game. All free throws in tips must at least hit the rim, or the shot must be retried. In addition, on a free throw the ball must hit the rim before the shooting player may charge the lane.
Another variation of the Tips rule is thus: a two-handed tip knocks the original shooter's score to 0, but if his score is already 0, he or she is out of the game. Additionally, if a player makes a tip with one hand, the original shooter is automatically out and must way for the next airball. Also, if a player is "dunk-tipped", the last player to touch the ball is automatically out and must also wait for the next airball.

Formal use

Twenty-one is frequently used in physical education classes and by basketball team coaches as skill development.^[1]^[2] Because only one player is on offense at any given time against several defenders, quickness and shooting skills are essential to successful play.

References

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Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2008)