Table of Contents
Samuel Lee (Sam) Worthen
- Nickname: Sudden Sam
- Position: Guard
- Height: 6'5“
- Weight: 195 lbs.
- Born: January 17, 1958 in Brooklyn, NY
- High School: Franklin K. Lane, in Brooklyn, NY
Marquette Career
Worthen signed with Marquette after playing for McLennan Community College. He averaged 12.1 points per game and led the Warriors in assists as a junior. He led the team in scoring (16.9 ppg) and assists as an All-American during his senior year.
All-Time Single Game Rankings
- 3rd, Free Throw Attempts (tied with two others), 20 vs. Notre Dame (February 24, 1980)
All-Time Single Season Rankings
- 6th, Assists (209)
- 10th, Assists (175)
All-Time Senior Season Rankings
- 3rd, Assists (175)
All-Time Junior Season Rankings
- 2nd, Assists (209)
Accolades
- 1978-79 Basketball Weekly Second Team All-American
- 1979-80 Basketball Weekly Second Team All-American
- 1979-80 Medalist All-American
- 1979-80 Playboy All-American
- 1979-80 Sport All-American
- 1979-80 UPI Third Team All-American
- 1979-80 USBWA All-American
THE 1979-1980 ALL AMERICA TEAM: Left to right, going in for the lay-up: Darnell Valentine, guard, Kansas; Kyle Macy, guard, Kentucky; Ronnie Lester, guard, Iowa; Sam Worthen, guard, Marquette; Durand Macklin, forward, Louisiana State; Mike O'Koren, forward, North Carolina; Mark Aguirre, forward, DePaul; Danny Vranes, forward, Utah; Joe Barry Carroll, center, Purdue; Mike Gminski, center, Duke. Kneeling in foreground: Ray Meyer, Playboy's Coach of the Year, DePaul
Professional Career
Drafted the third selection of the 2nd round (26th overall pick) of the 1980 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, Worthen would play only for two seasons - with the Bulls and the Utah Jazz.
| Year | Team | G | Min | Pts | PPG | FGM | FGA | FGP | FTM | FTA | FTP | 3PM | 3PA | 3PP | ORB | DRB | TRB | RPG | AST | APG | STL | BLK | TO | PF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-81 | Chicago Bulls | 64 | 945 | 235 | 3.7 | 95 | 192 | .495 | 45 | 60 | .750 | 0 | 4 | .000 | 22 | 93 | 115 | 1.8 | 115 | 1.8 | 57 | 6 | 91 | 115 |
| 1981-82 | Utah Jazz | 5 | 22 | 4 | 0.8 | 2 | 5 | .400 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.2 | 3 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Totals | 9 | 967 | 239 | 3.5 | 97 | 197 | .492 | 45 | 60 | .750 | 0 | 4 | .000 | 23 | 93 | 116 | 1.7 | 118 | 1.7 | 57 | 6 | 93 | 118 |
After leaving the NBA, Worthen played professionally in the USBL and CBA (Albany Patroons), and also served as a coach in those leagues. He has also coached in the International Basketball League and Puerto Rico Superior Professional Basketball League. In 2003, he returned to Marquette to finish his degree, and went on to work as an assistant coach at Iona College in New Rochelle, NY.
Sam Worthen's Iona College Bio
For the 2007-08 NBDL season, Worthen served as Jeff Ruland's assistant coach for the Albuquerque Thunderbirds. He also worrked as an assistant coach for the Fayetteville Patriots of the NBDL.
Thunderbirds Announce New Assistant Coach, 9/24/07
As of 2008, Sam was the coach of the Washington Generals, the team that almost always loses to the Harlem Globetrotters.