Glen Roberts - Jump Shot

Jump Shot

Basketball writers and historians have debated where, when and from whom the jump shot came. The consensus conclusion is that no one knows for sure. The first basketball "jump" shot could have been executed in 1918, or any year, by any John Doe in Any Town, U.S.A. The more important consideration is, who was the first in organized basketball to put to use a "jump" style shot with the end result being “increased scoring” for that individual, assuming it was an asset to the team?

In college basketball, the undisputed first player(s) to put a jump shot to practical use, were Glen Roberts of Emory and Henry College and John M Cooper of the University of Missouri. Again, noted historian and writer, Stephen Fox, in his 1994 book, “Big Leagues,” shows that Roberts and Cooper both used a jumper simultaneously in time (early 1930s) and yet totally independent of each other. Both shot a two handed jumper. The greatest difference between the two was their scoring averages. While Cooper’s 11 plus point average was considered great in that era of low scoring games, it paled in comparison to Roberts’ 19 plus average.

Roberts’ high school did not have an indoor gym and therefore had to practice on an outdoor dirt court. Often when the ground was too muddy for dribbling, the players would just pass to each other and shoot when someone was open. Roberts, even when guarded closely, started jumping in the air, with ball in hand, and released the ball at the apex of his jump.

It wasn't until a decade or so later that the "jump shot" started to become more widely used. Four players to be credited with popularizing the jumper in the mid-to-late 1940s were Bud Palmer, Belus Smawley, Kenny Sailors and Joe Fulks.