Sam Worthen

Last updated

Sam Worthen
Personal information
Born (1958-01-17) January 17, 1958 (age 66)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school Franklin K. Lane
(Brooklyn, New York)
College
NBA draft 1980: 2nd round, 26th overall pick
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Playing career1980–1988
Position Shooting guard
Number31
Coaching career1982–2005
Career history
As player:
1980–1981 Chicago Bulls
1981 Utah Jazz
1981–1982 Rochester Zeniths
1982–1983 Albany Patroons
1983–1985 Puerto Rico Coquis
1985 Springfield Fame
1985–1986 Maine Windjammers
1986Springfield Fame
1986–1987 Charleston Gunners
1988 New Haven Skyhawks
As coach:
1982–1983Albany Patroons
1987 Miami Tropics
1990 New York Whitecaps
1994–1995 Harrisburg Hammerheads
1997 Long Island Surf
1999 Brooklyn Kings
2001 Brujos de Guayama
2004–2005 Gallitos de Isabela
Career highlights and awards
Stats   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg at NBA.com
Stats   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg at Basketball-Reference.com

Samuel Lee Worthen (born January 17, 1958) is an American former NBA player who currently is touring as the coach of the Washington Generals, the team that perennially loses to the Harlem Globetrotters. He was well known for his play at the Rucker Park Tournament. [1]

Sam Worthen was an All-American point guard at Marquette University from 1978 to 1980 under coach Hank Raymonds. He led the Warriors in assists during his junior year and scoring and assists in his senior year. Worthen led The Warriors to a win over 10th ranked on the road against Notre Dame in 1980. [2] Worthen was named to Basketball Weekly's second team after his junior and senior seasons. He was also named to Sports Page magazine's first team, United States Basketball Writers Association first team, UPI, third team and top newcomers of 1979, Playboy magazine pre-season basketball edition. [3]

In 1980, he was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the NBA draft and played in the NBA for two seasons. Worthen was with the Bulls in 1980-1981 and the Utah Jazz in 1981–1982. In August, 2003 – 23 years after leaving Marquette for the NBA - Worthen completed his undergraduate degree from Marquette's College of Communication [4]

In late 2008, Worthen was the coach of the Generals, playing the bad guy role during the games. He ran such skits as using a "remote controlled" ball that the Globetrotters couldn't control, putting a piece of hard plastic on top the Globetrotters rim so they couldn't score and simply adding 30 or so points to the Generals' score by manipulating the scoreboard. At the end of games, he would lose a bet and was forced to wear a pink tutu and a tiara, and carry a shiny magic wand off the court.

Worthen started coaching in 1985 as a player/coach of the United States Basketball League's Springfield Fame guiding them to the league title.

Worthen and the New Haven Skyhawks won the 1988 USBL Championship. He has been the head coach of the Albany Patroons (CBA), Miami Tropics (USBL; 1987 Champions), New York Whitecaps (USBL), Harrisburg Hammerheads (CBA), Fort Wayne Fury (CBA), Long Island Surf (USBL), Brooklyn Kings (USBL), and Baltimore Bayrunners (IBL). Sam also was player coach of the Harlem Wizards show team for 15 years

Worthen was an assistant for three years 2004 through 2007 with the Iona College men's basketball program. [4] He also was the assistant coach of the Fayetteville Patriots of the National Basketball Development League (NBDL).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abe Saperstein</span> Harlem Globetrotters founder and first coach (1902-1966)

Abraham Michael Saperstein was the founder, owner and earliest coach of the Harlem Globetrotters. Saperstein was a leading figure in black basketball and baseball from the 1920s through the 1950s, primarily before those sports were racially integrated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Gervin</span> American basketball player (born 1952)

George Gervin, nicknamed "the Iceman", is an American former professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Virginia Squires, San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls. Gervin averaged at least 14 points per game in all 14 of his ABA and NBA seasons, and finished with an NBA career average of 26.2 points per game. Widely regarded as one of the greatest shooting guards in NBA history, in 1996 Gervin was named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, and in 2021, Gervin was named as one of the 75 greatest players in NBA history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Parish</span> American basketball player (born 1953)

Robert Lee Parish is an American former professional basketball player. A 7'1" center, nicknamed "the Chief", Parish played for four teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1976 to 1997. During his 14-year tenure with the Boston Celtics, Parish teamed with Hall-of-Fame forwards Larry Bird and Kevin McHale to form one of the greatest front lines in NBA history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albany Patroons</span> American minor-league basketball team

The Albany Patroons are a professional basketball team that plays in The Basketball League (TBL). Previously, the team competed in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and in the United States Basketball League (USBL). The Patroons won CBA championships in 1984 and 1988 as well as a TBL championship in 2019. The team's name derives from patroon, the term for a large landholders in New Netherland, the Dutch colony that once included the Albany region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devin Brown</span> American basketball player (born 1978)

Devin LaVell Brown is an American former professional basketball shooting guard who played 8 seasons in the National Basketball Association. Brown won an NBA championship as a member of the San Antonio Spurs in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrian Dantley</span> American basketball player (born 1955)

Adrian Delano Dantley is an American former professional basketball player and coach who played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Dantley is a six-time NBA All-Star, a two-time All-NBA selection and a two-time NBA scoring champion. Dantley finished ninth on the all-time NBA scoring list at the time of his retirement and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. He served as an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets of the NBA from 2003 to 2011. He played college basketball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Charles Richard "Bubba" Wells Jr. is an American basketball coach and former player. He played college basketball for Austin Peay State University and later professionally, including for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA and Dafni in the Greek Basket League.

Oliver J. Miller is an American former professional basketball player. He was nicknamed "The Big O" because of his large size. Miller played college basketball at the University of Arkansas and was drafted by the Phoenix Suns in 1992. After his initial stint in the NBA from 1992 to 1998, where he became the heaviest player in league history, Miller played overseas and for semi-professional American teams. He returned to the NBA for the 2003–04 season, but he transitioned back to minor-league and semi-professional play, and he retired from professional basketball in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orlando Woolridge</span> American basketball player (1959–2012)

Orlando Vernada Woolridge was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1981 to 1994. He was known for his scoring ability, especially on slam dunks. He played college basketball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

James Walter Kennedy was an American businessman, politician, and commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1963 until 1975.

Clifford Eugene Levingston is an American professional basketball coach and former player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darrick Martin</span> American basketball player

Darrick David Martin is an American basketball coach, most recently head coach for the Reno Bighorns of the NBA G League. He played basketball for more than a decade, shuttling between the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), where he won the 2003 CBA Playoffs MVP, and the NBA. In 2003, he even played for the Harlem Globetrotters. He then went on to play for the Los Angeles Lightning of the Independent Basketball Association (IBL). He was named the head coach of Reno in June 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marques Haynes</span> American basketball player (1926–2015)

Marques Haynes was an American professional basketball player and member of the Harlem Globetrotters, notable for his ability to dribble the ball and keep it away from defenders. According to the 1988 film Harlem Globetrotters: Six Decades of Magic, Haynes could dribble the ball as many as 348 times a minute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Majors</span> Basketball team

The Chicago Majors were a basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, that was a member of the American Basketball League from 1961 to 1963.

Donald Collins is an American former professional basketball player. Collins was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks, in the first round, of the 1980 NBA draft. Collins played in 303 National Basketball Association (NBA) games for four teams, over six seasons, averaging just under 10 points per game for his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dean Meminger</span> American basketball player and coach

Dean Peter "The Dream" Meminger was an American basketball player and coach. He played college basketball for Marquette where he was the NIT MVP in 1970 and a Consensus first-team All-American in 1971. He later played professionally in the NBA for six seasons, winning the NBA championship with the New York Knicks in 1973. Following his playing career, Meminger went into coaching and in 1980 he led the New York Stars to the WBL championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Blair</span> American basketball player and coach

Joseph Blair is an American former professional basketball player, and current assistant coach for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was formerly the Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach. Standing 2.10m tall, and weighing 120 kg, he spent his playing career playing at the positions of power forward and center. He was reputed for his spectacular playing style, most notably while he was a member of the Harlem Globetrotters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orlando Meléndez</span> Puerto Rican basketball player

Orlando Meléndez Gilbert, a.k.a. "El Gato", is a Puerto Rican basketball player. He is the first Puerto Rico-born basketball player to play for the Harlem Globetrotters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MarShon Brooks</span> American basketball player (born 1989)

MarShon Scitif Brooks is an American professional basketball player for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Standing at 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), he plays at shooting guard and small forward positions. Originally drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 25th pick in the 2011 NBA draft, he was immediately traded to the New Jersey Nets.

Ronnie Williams was an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Florida Gators. Williams played professionally in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and United States Basketball League (USBL).

References

  1. ↑ "Elite 24: Rucker Park legends". May 17, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Sam Worthen and Marquette versus Notre Dame". YouTube . Archived from the original on December 14, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Amsterdam News Worthen Keeps Promise". July 2, 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Iona Athletics".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.