Tony Worrell
{{Short description|American basketball player}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Tony Worrell
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1965|12|29}}
| birth_place = Goldsboro, North Carolina, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2015|11|10|1965|12|29}}
| death_place = Grand Junction, Colorado, U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 7
| weight_lbs =
| high_school = Goldsboro (Goldsboro, North Carolina)
| college = North Texas (1984–1988)
| draft_year = 1988
| career_start =
| career_end =
| career_position = Small forward
| career_number =
| years1 = 1990–1992
| team1 = Commodore
| years2 = 1996–1997
| team2 = Independiente General Pico
| highlights =
- Southland Player of the Year (1988)
- 2× First-team All-Southland (1987, 1988)
}}
Tony Worrell (December 29, 1965 – November 10, 2015) was an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the North Texas Mean Green.
Early life
Worrell was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina, and attended Goldsboro High School.{{cite web |title=Tony Worrell |url=https://www.brownscremationservice.com/obituary/Tony-Worrell |website=Brown's Cremation & Funeral Service |access-date=August 18, 2022}} Worrell garnered recruiting attention after playing well in All-Star camps the summer before his senior year and was named to the North Carolina East-West All-Star game.{{cite news|title=Ex-Goldsboro star seeks Heels' attention |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-and-observer/122343570/ |newspaper=Raleigh News and Observer|date=March 17, 1988|page=21|via =Newspapers.com|access-date =April 5, 2023}} {{Open access}} Ultimately, he was scouted by 150 colleges and committed to play for the North Texas Mean Green.
College career
Worrell scored 1,516 points during his Mean Green career and is ranked 8th in program scoring history. He led the team to its first NCAA tournament appearance in 1988 behind his 20.2 points per game during the season.{{cite web |last1=Wakley |first1=Ralph |title=North Texas State forward Tony Worrell, a North Carolina... |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/03/16/North-Texas-State-forward-Tony-Worrell-a-North-Carolina/5577574491600/ |website=UPI |access-date=December 2, 2022 |date=March 16, 1988}} He clinched the Mean Green's NCAA bid by scoring 33 points in the 1988 Southland tournament, earning MVP honors.{{cite news|title=NTSU's Worrell psyched to play UNC |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-chapel-hill-news/122343426/ |newspaper=The Chapel Hill News|date=March 17, 1988|page=9|via =Newspapers.com|access-date =April 5, 2023}} {{Open access}} Worrell scored a team-high 15 points in their loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels.{{cite web |last1=Drooz |first1=Alan |title=NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT : Other West Regional Games : North Carolina Has No Trouble in 83-65 Win |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-03-18-sp-1524-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=November 15, 2022 |date=March 18, 1988}} He was named the Southland Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year in 1988{{cite news|title=Champ North Texas State leads All-SLC parade |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-town-talk/122344203/ |newspaper=The Town Talk (Alexandria, Louisiana)|date=March 9, 1988|page=14|via =Newspapers.com|access-date =April 5, 2023}} {{Open access}}{{cite news |title=NTSU earns NCAA bid |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115317213/ntsu-earns-ncaa-bid/ |access-date=28 December 2022 |work=The Paris News |agency=Associated Press |date=11 March 1988 |page=3B |via=Newspapers.com}}{{open access}} and became the first African-American student-athlete at the University of North Texas to earn the award.{{cite web |title=North Texas Hall Of Famer Tony Worrell Passes Away |url=https://meangreensports.com/news/2015/11/11/North_Texas_Hall_Of_Famer_Tony_Worrell_Passes_Away |website=University of North Texas |access-date=November 15, 2022 |date=November 11, 2015}} Worrell was a two-time selection to the All-Southland first-team.{{cite web |title=Tony Worrell |url=https://meangreensports.com/honors/north-texas-athletics-hall-of-fame/tony-worrell/108 |website=University of North Texas |access-date=November 15, 2022}}
Worrell was inducted into the North Texas Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000. He was named to the 1980s all-decade Southland Conference team in 2013.{{cite web |last1=Hofferth |first1=Dave |title=Lamar well represented on 1980s all-decade team |url=https://www.12newsnow.com/article/news/lamar-well-represented-on-1980s-all-decade-team/502-270124098 |website=12 News |access-date=December 2, 2022 |date=February 27, 2013}}
Professional career
Following the close of his college career, Worrell went undrafted in the 1988 NBA draft. He joined the Dallas Mavericks for the NBA Summer League, where he impressed coaches but ultimately did not make the final roster.{{cite news |title=Tarpley needed revue workout; others needed work |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram/122612216/ |access-date=April 10, 2023 |work=Fort Worth Star-Telegram |date=July 30, 1988 |page=42 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{open access}} Worrell was also selected by the Rapid City Thrillers as the 50th overall pick in the 1988 Continental Basketball Association draft.{{cite web |title=1988 CBA Draft |url=https://nbahoopsonline.com/History/Leagues/CBA/draft/1988.html |website=NBA Hoops Online |access-date=December 2, 2022}} He played professional basketball for 11 years in Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, France and Argentina. Worrell played for Commodore in the Netherlands from 1990 to 1992.{{cite web |title=Tony Worrell Basketbal statistieken Spelers Dossier |url=https://db.basketball.nl/db/overzicht/spelersdossier.pl?detail=Dossier&spl_ID=10642 |website=NBB Database |access-date=August 18, 2022 |language=Dutch}}
Later life and death
Worrell moved to Grand Junction, Colorado, with his family in 2001. He coached youth basketball and officiated games.
Worrell died on November 10, 2015, in Grand Junction.{{cite news|title=Well-known, loved hoops official Worrell dies at 49 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-sentinel/122673072/ |newspaper=Grand Junction Daily Sentinel|date=November 14, 2015|page=11|via =Newspapers.com|access-date =April 11, 2023}} {{Open access}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/tony-worrell-1.html College statistics]
- [https://basketball.latinbasket.com/player/Tony_Worrell/20554 Profile] at Eurobasket.com
{{Southland Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Worrell, Tony}}
Category:American expatriate basketball people in Argentina
Category:American expatriate basketball people in Belgium
Category:American expatriate basketball people in France
Category:American expatriate basketball people in Spain
Category:American expatriate basketball people in Switzerland
Category:American expatriate basketball people in the Netherlands
Category:American men's basketball players
Category:Basketball players from North Carolina
Category:North Texas Mean Green men's basketball players