title: Assessing basketball ability in players with mental retardation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although athletes with mental retardation (MR) have achieved an important role, literature concerning the evaluation tests in basketball is still poor.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess basketball ability before and after a 4-month training performed before championship for athletes with MR and to correlate ability variations with MR levels.
  
  
  METHODS
  15 trained basketball players with MR (11 men and 4 women; age range 21-43 years; MR: 3 mild, 8 moderate, 8 severe and 1 profound). Athletes were tested before (pre) and after (post) 4 month training preceding the championship. The tests assessed 4 levels of ability, each one characterised by 4 fundamental areas of this game: ball handling, reception, passing and shooting. Each area was divided into 5 specific components.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The team average score, based on the score of each athlete's 4 levels, improved by 6.6 points (41.6 (SD 11.9) vs 48.2 (14.7)). The comparison between pre and post scores in each level showed increases (p<0.01), especially in level II (14.4 (3.5) vs 16.5 (3.3)) and in level III (7.1 (5.7) vs 9.2 (6.6)). Within level II, ball handling (3.67 (1.2) vs 4.37 (0.5); p<0.05) and passing (3.20 (1.2) vs 3.97 (1.3); p<0.01) improved; in level III reception (3.21 (1.1) vs 3.73 (1.1); p = 0.01) and shooting (1.82 (1.1) vs 2.45 (1.3); p<0.05) increased.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A 4 month training caused a general improvement, especially evident in levels II and III. Total score reached in level II was negatively correlated with MR level (r = -0.56; p<0.05), indicating that athletes with lower MR obtained higher scores.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University IUSM of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guidetti
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Franciosi
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Emerenziani
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Gallotta
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baldari
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D001490:Basketball / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D010806:Physical Education and Training / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult