Willie James Worsley (born November 13, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player who was one of the

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

s for the Texas Western Miners basketball team during their now-legendary 1966

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

championship game against Kentucky. Although only 5 foot 6 inches tall, he later played 24 games for the ABA's

New York Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

during the 1968-69 season. Willie played basketball for

DeWitt Clinton High School , motto_translation = Without Work Nothing Is Accomplished , image = DeWitt Clinton High School front entrance IMG 7441 HLG.jpg , seal_image = File:Clinton News.JPG , seal_size = 124px , ...

in the Bronx, leading the team to a New York City Championship in 1963. Playing before a crowded Madison Square Garden, he was named the championships MVP that year. The team also enjoyed a 38-game winning streak during his playing days. NBA great, Nate "Tiny" Archibald, two years his junior, always looked up to Willie at DeWitt Clinton and eventually joined him in the backcourt at Texas El Paso (Texas Western) for the 1967-1968 season. Remembering the Kentucky victory, Willie said he enjoyed the game for another reason: His working mother was home in front of a TV, watching. "It was the only time my mother, Julia, got to see me play. She'd never seen me play at all," he said. Toward the end of the 1960s, Worsley took over as coach for the now-defunct children's shelter ''Woodycrest'' located in High Bridge,

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. There, in conjunction with James Neal, he oversaw the shelter's athletic programs. By the end of the 1970s, the shelter had merged with another home located in

Pomona, New York Pomona is a village partly in the town of Ramapo and partly in the town of Haverstraw in Rockland County, New York, United States. It is located north of New Hempstead, east of Harriman State Park, north of Monsey and west of Mount Ivy. Acco ...

and Worsley had become a director. After this organization became bankrupt, Worsley became coach of the Spring Valley High School boys' basketball team in

Rockland County, New York Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is about from the Bronx at their closest points. The county's population, as of t ...

. While continuing to coach the Spring Valley High School basketball team, Worsley became the

Boys Choir of Harlem The Boys Choir of Harlem (also known as the Harlem Boys Choir) was a choir located in Harlem, New York City, United States. Its final performance was in 2007 and the group folded shortly thereafter due to several controversies, including a ...

's Dean of Students. In the 2006 film ''

Glory Road ''Glory Road'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein, originally serialized in ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (July – September 1963) and published in hardcover the same year. It was nominated for ...

'' about the 1966 championship team, Worsley was portrayed by Sam Jones III.

References

External links

Pro stats
* http://www.woodycrestfamily.com/products.html 1945 births Living people 21st-century African-American people African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from New York City DeWitt Clinton High School alumni High school basketball coaches in the United States New York Nets players Point guards UTEP Miners men's basketball players 20th-century African-American sportspeople {{1940s-US-basketball-bio-stub