Sam Worthen was a two-year starter at point guard from 1978 to 1980. He started his college career at McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas, where he averaged a triple double in points, rebounds and assists for two seasons in addition, earning first team junior college All-American honors his sophomore season.
Worthen prepped at Franklin K. Lane High School in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he also averaged a triple double in points, rebounds and assists in his junior and senior seasons. He averaged 14.4 points and 6.9 assists in 56 career games at Marquette and led the Warriors in scoring (16.9) and assists (6.5) his senior season. His 384 assists were good for ninth place in Marquette all-time career assists leaders list in 1980. Worthen’s 209 assists in 1978-1979 rank him in sixth place on the school’s all-time season leaders assist list and second most ever distributed by a Marquette junior (his 175 assists in 1979-1980 were the third most ever recorded by a Marquette senior) at the end of season.
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.
The 6-foot-6 Worthen was a deep ball handler and an efficient yet creative distributor, who his college coach, Hank Raymonds, once described as “the best passer I’ve seen at Marquette.” Worthen was a second-round pick, 26th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 1980-1981 draft. He also spent a season with the Utah Jazz, 1981-1982.
Worthen has coached in the NBA DL, CBA, USBL, IBL, Puerto Rico and Venezuela, as well as spent time with the Harlem Wizards, Court Jesters and the Washington Generals. Along the way, he won many championships.
In August 2003, Worthen, 23 years after leaving the NBA, completed work toward his undergraduate degree from Marquette College of Communications. He and his wife, Florine, reside in the Bronx, N.Y.