BIO: Born in Bunbury, Western Australia, Worthington grew up in the nearby town of Australind, where he attended Australind Primary School and Australind Senior High School.

FAMILY: Worthington’s father, Greg, is a basketball coach who has been involved with the South West Slammers. His brother, Trent, played for many years with the Slammers’ SBL team.

Worthington and his wife, Andrea, have two sons, Taz and Axel.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Mark Worthington made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 22 years of age. He scored 16 points in his first game.

As a rookie, Worthington averaged 11.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists as the Kings finished with a record of 26-6 and in first place during the regular season.

2006/07
In 2006/07, Worthington averaged 15.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists, playing a key role in the King’s rotation, helping the team finish reach a fourth place finish in the regular season with a 20-13 record.

2007/08
The Kings had been drifting further and further away from the championship since completing a three-peat in 2005. A grand final loss in 2006, a semi-final exit in 2005 and losing veteran Brad Sheridan to retirement and their second-leading scorer David Barlow prompted Sydney to re-tool their roster. The Kings would start by making a huge offer to Illawarra Hawks star Glen Saville, one which he couldn’t refuse. Imports Jerome Beasley and Ed Scott were replaced with Dontaye Draper and Isiah Victor and the Kings started the season off on fire.

Sydney won their first five games until they suffered a upset loss to rival club West Sydney, but backed this up by winning the next seven games in a row.

Worthington averaged 17.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists alongside Mark Worthington (17.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals) who delivered his best season to date, leading the Kings in both scoring and rebounds. Draper (13.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.8 steals), who led the team in assists and steals, provided the leadership needed at the point as the Kings delivered a balanced attack with six players averaging double figures, including Jason Smith (12.9 ppg), Luke Kendall (11.3 ppg), Victor (10.8 ppg) and Saville (10.6 ppg).

The Kings would finish the regular season with a 27-3 record, losing only one home game all season and ending the season on a eight game winning streak. Sydney clinched top spot on the ladder (five games ahead of Melbourne) after winning their last eight games of the season. With the league’s top eight team’s advancing to the playoffs, Sydney and Melbourne (22-8), would automatically advance to the semi finals. There they would face Perth and Brisbane respectively. Sydney would defeat Perth in three games, while Melbourne eliminated Brisbane to face each other in the best-of-five Grand Final series.

Worthington would erupt for 35 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists in game one in front of the home crowd, with the Kings convincingly winning Game one, 95-74. The key to the victory being the defensive efforts from Ian Crosswhite (11 points, 9 rebounds), Russell Hinder (4 points, 3 rebounds and Worthington, who held NBL MVP Chris Anstey to a mere 12 points

game two shifted to Melbourne and behind former King David Barlow (24 points), Sean Lampley (21 points) and a resurgent Anstey (21 points and 9 rebounds) the Tigers defeated Sydney 104-93.

game three saw Melbourne survive a fierce final quarter comeback behind a 89-87 victory, witnessed by 6,009 Kings fans at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. Melbourne had allowed a 78-66 three-quarter-time lead to disappear by the fourth quarter, where they trailed by four points with just under four minutes to play. However, they outscored Sydney 7-1 in the game’s remaining moments, which saw import forward Sean Lampley clinching the game with a three-pointer to make it 89-87 victory with just 12 seconds remaining. With Sydney unable to respond, Anstey finished with 27 points and 15 rebounds for the Tigers, while Kings star Mark Worthington top-scored again for Sydney with 22 points.

The Kings made sure the same result wouldn’t happen in game four, thanks to inspired performances by injured guard Dontaye Draper (8 points, 4 assists and 2 steals) and forward Isiah Victor (23 points, 9 rebounds), the Sydney Kings came back from the dead to extend the series to a fifth game. To win, the Kings staged the biggest last-quarter comeback ever in a NBL Grand Final, trailing by as much as 18 points (72-54) late in the third quarter. Draper, who was not expected to play because of a hamstring injury, sat on the bench for almost all of the first three quarters. But, after coming on late in the third term, he scored eight points in the final quarter, including two crucial three-pointers, to help lift his side to a 90-87 victory, culminating with Kings coach Brian Goorjian running laps around our court with a clenched fist. Isiah Victor led the Kings with 23 points and 9 rebounds, while Chris Anstey led the Tigers, recording his second-highest score of the season, adding 33 points and eight rebounds in the losing effort.

Many expected the Tigers to roll over after the emotional game four loss, especially with game five being played a mere 48 hours later. The game was played in front of a sellout crowd of 10,244 (the King’s first sellout since 2003), and although Sydney finished the first quarter in front, the Tigers outscored them (28-19) in the second and at the end of the third, the Tigers held a 61-63 lead. In the series thus far, Sydney had outscored Melbourne 97-59 in the four previous fourth quarters, but with Tigers duo Chris Anstey and Dave Thomas both delivering 21 point games, Melbourne rebounded to defeat Sydney 85-73. Anstey, who had averaged 22.8 points and 10.4 rebounds over the five games, was fittingly named Finals MVP and in doing so, became only the second player ever (Sam MacKinnon had achieved the feat in 2007) to win a NBL championship, the season MVP, Grand Final MVP and Best Defensive Player all in the same season.

Mark Worthington led the Kings with 17 points while Jason Smith and Luke Kendall both finished with 7 points each, unable to get the types of shots they generally made.

On 24 March 2008, coach Brian Goorjian quit the club after a mutual agreement, and on 12 June 2008, the NBL terminated the Sydney team’s licence as Firepower collapsed and the Kings were unable to pay player salaries.

2008/09
The Dragons retained five players heading into their third season. Ingles, the blue-collar Matt Burston, wing Nathan Herbert, the naturalised Nick Horvath, and import Cortez Groves. The demise of the Sydney Kings saw legendary coach Brian Goorjian open to offers, and the Dragons quickly offered to bring him to Melbourne and replace Shane Heal. Talented point guard Adam Gibson also joined the roster after his team (Brisbane) also exited the league. Other new additions saw Tremmell Darden signed on as the team’s second import, Mika Vukona (via New Zealand) was brought in to add a new found physicality to the squad and Rhys Carter (via West Sydney), who due to having no NBL team’s interested in signing him, asked Goorjian if he could train with the team to keep in shape and his efforts were enough for Goorjian to offer him the backup point guard spot.

The season began with a slow start, a loss to Cairns and then Townsville saw the Dragons start the year with a 2-2 record. Then came a eight game winning streak which ended with Groves suffering a season ending injury which led to his release. The Dragons were 16-4 when Donta Smith was axed from his Chinese team Shanxi Zhongyu (making room for NBA star Bonzi Wells) and Goorjian, who was aware of Smith from his time playing for the Atlanta Hawks, quickly signed him as Groves replacement. Smith had dropped 41 and 35 point games in his last few weeks playing in China, but started his NBL campaign much quieter in comparison. Seven games in and Smith was still coming off the bench and yet to score over 14 in a game. During this time however, his talent was never questioned, as he was able to always fill the stat sheet in almost every other area which ensured the Dragons finished the season on top of the ladder (22-8).

Mark Worthington led the team in both points and rebounds (16.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.3 steals) while Smith finished up second on the team in scoring and first in assists (15 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals). Adam Gibson and Joe Ingles would earn the NBL’s Best Defensive Player and Rookie of the Year awards before heading into the playoffs, where the Dragons received a first-round bye (due to finishing top of the ladder) and meeting Townsville in the semifinals. The Dragons defeated Townsville at home in both game one (94-81) and game three (101-78), while on the other side of the bracket, the Melbourne Tigers defeated the NZ Breakers in two straight games, setting up a ‘All Melbourne’ Grand Final.

In game one, the Dragons defeated the Tigers by double digits (93–81) after holding Melbourne to 36 points in the second half. Mark Worthington (23 points) top scored for the Dragons, while Anstey (21 points and 9 rebounds) led the way for the Tigers.

After leading by 14 points midway through the final quarter of game two, the Tigers fought off a late comeback by the Dragons to win on the Tigers home court (88-83). David Barlow (26 points) and Anstey (21 points and 9 rebounds) finished as the Tigers’ best, and import Donta Smith (18 points and 6 rebounds) top scoring for the Dragons.

In game three, the series became front-page news after a clash between Anstey and Dragons backup point guard Rhys Carter. a incident that saw the Tigers star big man charged with ‘striking – with elbow’ after the altercation with Carter in the third quarter of the grand final series before being ejected from the match (along with Dragons forward Mika Vukona, who was involved in the subsequent on-court melee). The game was a bloodbath after Anstey’s ejection, with the Dragons hammering the defending champions 84-67 at Hisense Arena. The Dragons were led by Donta Smith (18 points), who scored 10 points in the final period.

After the NBL tribunal decided they wouldn’t suspend any players for the melee, game four saw Carter (17 points), who copped the brunt of Anstey’s anger in Game 3, came back with a big game but Anstey (31 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists) also erupted for his team in game four, propelling Melbourne to victory (108-95) and setting up a fifth and final game to decide the NBL championship.

Game five saw 9,000 fans packed Hisense Arena to witness the Dragons beat the Tigers by 21 points (102-81) and become NBL champions. Tremmell Darden (31 points) was the key for the Dragons in this game, scoring 21 points in the final quarter, and Donta Smith (21 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists) did the rest, almost notching up a triple-double. Worthington and Mika Vukona were able to limit the impact of limit Anstey (12 points and 3 rebounds) yet again, with Ebi Ere and David Barlow (16 points each) the only Tigers’ players able to make a impact.

Donta Smith was named MVP of the Finals after averaging 18.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.4 assists over the five-game series.

Although initial reports had the Dragons regrouping for a run at back to back titles, in a surprise move, the club announced it would withdraw from the NBL less than two months after hoisting the trophy. Although in a positive financial position, Dragons ownership felt that due to the league’s instability and focus on stablising itself conflicted with their goals of continuing to grow.

“The Dragons’ board of directors believe that more time is required to develop the league as a commercially viable entity,” said co-owner Mark Cowan at the time. “The Dragons aspire to play at the highest level, to the highest standards, in a fully professional league. This is a sad day for our club, but in many ways, it’s the only way forward for a sport which needs some time to reinvent itself.”

Cowan further addressed the club’s decision in a letter to Dragons members, outlining the testing time that it was for everyone involved across the league.

“The NBL is a mess,” stated Cowan. “In the last two years, team’s in Brisbane and Sydney have collapsed. Singapore pulled out of the league. Cairns and the Sydney Spirit had major financial crises. Fox Sports severely cut its telecasts, and mainstream media interest has waned. Crowds fall every year. Basketball Australia and the NBL owners decided something had to be done, so we handed in our licences on the condition that a reform process would be undertaken.”

2009/10
Thanks to the demise of the South Dragons in 2009, Mark Worthington, who found himself without a team, joined Melbourne to pair with Boomers teammate Chris Anstey in the frontcourt. Anstey’s body would struggle through the 2009/10 season, however, missing a large amount of the team’s games due to a recurring back injury. Even when he was able to suit up, Anstey (9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game) was a shadow of himself on the court, putting up his worst numbers since his 1996 breakout season with the Magic. His absence would benefit rising star Daniel Johnson, who improved his numbers from 2.7 points and 1.9 rebounds to 10.6 points and 4.3 rebounds, including a career-high 17 points effort against Adelaide.

The Tigers’ injury woes didn’t finish with Anstey. New addition Ben Knight (4.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists) managed only four games before suffering a season ending injury after he jumped to get a loose ball against Gold Coast Blaze big man Pero Cameron. This was later diagnosed as a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee. Co-captain Nathan Crosswell was sidelined with a fractured finger for three weeks, forcing versatile import Julius Hodge to switch from small forward to point guard. Prior to Crosswell’s injury, the Tigers had just won their first set of back-to-back games for the year and, despite being last on the ladder, hoped to win seven of the team’s last nine games. After winning their next three games in a row, the Tigers fell well short, however, losing four games in a row to end the season in sixth place (11-17).

After failing to make the playoffs, Long time teammates Anstey and MacKinnon announced their retirements together at the end of the season. Worthington averaged 16.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2 assists.

The Tigers’ injury woes didn’t finish with Anstey. New addition Ben Knight (4.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists) managed only four games before suffering a season ending injury after he jumped to get a loose ball against Gold Coast Blaze big man Pero Cameron. This was later diagnosed as a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee. Co-captain Nathan Crosswell was sidelined with a fractured finger for three weeks, forcing versatile import Julius Hodge to switch from small forward to point guard. Prior to Crosswell’s injury, the Tigers had just won their first set of back-to-back games for the year and, despite being last on the ladder, hoped to win seven of the team’s last nine games. After winning their next three games in a row, the Tigers fell well short, however, losing four games in a row to end the season in sixth place (11-17).

After failing to make the playoffs, Anstey and Sam MacKinnon announced their retirements.

GOLD COAST BLAZE
2010/11
In 2010/11 Worthington averaged 16.8 points and 7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists, and helped guide the Blaze to a sixth-place finish during the regular season with a 13-15 record.

2011/12
In 2011/12, Worthington averaged 14.3 points and 6.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists, as the Blaze finished in third place with a 17-11 record.

MELBOURNE TIGERS
2013/14
Over in the west, former Melbourne coach Trevor Gleeson had replaced Rob Beveridge, who at that time had a verbal agreement with Mark Worthington to play for the Wildcats. With Beveridge gone and Anstey knowing Worthington wasn’t keen to play for Gleeson he quickly signed him to return to play with the Tigers.

Yep, @PerthWildcats fans. @Wortho33 had agreed to come back to the Wildcat’s in 2013.

But, as he says. the rest is history.

Full Rewind podcast with Mark Worthington ????
Watch: https://t.co/1fMGAK7DWw
Listen: https://t.co/g327OUZf4h pic.twitter.com/AISEvpBgYS

— NBL (@NBL) September 4, 2020

Anstey then added Canadian Scott Morrison and Stephen Dennis as imports to the core group of Lucas Walker, Nate Tomlinson, Adam Ballinger and team captain Tommy Greer.

Days before the Tigers season opener Dennis injured his Achilles tendon in pre-season training, resulting in Melbourne signing former import Ayinde Ubaka, who played with Anstey during the 2011/12 season, as a last minute replacement.

On 10 October 2013, Worthington was recognised by being named in the Sydney Kings 25th Anniversary Team.

The Tigers season also began with club MVP Chris Goulding and captain Tommy Greer both on the injured list and after a sluggish start (3-4) the Tigers released the underperforming Ubaka (5.3 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists) mid-season for the second time in three years. He was replaced by former LA Clippers guard Mustapha Farrakhan (10.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists) while the Tigers floundered through the first half of the season (6-6).

Once healthy, Goulding offensive talents were on full display, none moreso than on 9 March 2014, when he scored a career-high 50 points in the Tigers’ 92–82 win over the Sydney Kings. It was the NBL’s first individual 50-point game in the 40-minute era. He was subsequently crowned the NBL scoring champion for the 2013/14 season. With Goulding (22.8 points, 3.2 rebunds, 2.8 assists) and Worthington (14.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists) leading the team offensively, Melbourne finished the season strongly, finishing in third place and reaching the semi finals for the first time in five seasons. Worthington also added 14 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2 assists over the course of the season.

Facing Adelaide in the semifinals, Melbourne would lose the opening game of the series (101-85) thanks to an explosive performance from Gary Ervin (27 points and 7 assists).

Game two would then shift to Melbourne where Tigers guard Chris Goulding exploded for 37 points, allowing the Tigers to even the series behind a 98-87 victory.

In game three, Adelaide finished the job, demolishing Melbourne with a 102-63 victory which included holding them to a 27-point half-time score and winning every quarter by 7 points or more.

2014/15 – TIGERS BECOME UNITED
On 20 May 2014, the franchise was re-branded as Melbourne United. The change was a attempt to move away from the Melbourne Tigers junior program which was a team synonymous with ‘poaching’ young talent from other junior programs in Victoria and had negative connotations with much of Victoria’s basketball community. The name, attempting to symbolise a connection to all of Victorian basketball was a decision made by owner Larry Kestelman.

The team retained head coach Chris Anstey and added Tigers legend Daryl Corletto who had spent three years with the New Zealand Breakers. Australian Boomers players David Barlow, who had spent the past five years in Europe and Daniel Kickert signed on with the club as long time captain of the club Tommy Greer retired.

The team retained their Tigers core of Mark Worthington, Lucas Walker and Nate Tomlinson who were all chosen to share the captaincy this season and their last move was to complement the squad by signing their import talent, adding Jordan McRae and Stephen Dennis.

Adam Ballinger, who had signed a two-year deal the previous season, was a part of the team up until the week before the season when United chose to release him. a unfavorable situation for Ballinger as every other NBL team had completed their rosters, leaving Ballinger nowhere to negotiate. He was eventually signed by Illawarra and played the remainder of the season with the Hawks.

United’s inaugural season began with a loss to Cairns (89–61) which saw coach Chris Anstey resign and replaced by his assistant Darryl McDonald. Worthington would average 12.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists as United went on to finish the season in fifth place (13–15), missing out on the playoffs.

CAIRNS TAIPANS
2015/16
The 2015/16 season saw Worthington average 11.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists and play a key role in helping the Taipans to a sixth-place finish during the regular season with a 12-16 record.

2016/17
During the 2016/17 season Worthington averaged 9.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists and helped the Taipans finish with a record of 15-13 and end the regular season in second place.

Mark Worthington played eleven seasons across five NBL teams. This included the Sydney Kings, South Dragons, Gold Coast Blaze, Melbourne Tigers, Melbourne United and Cairns Taipans. He averaged 14.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 334 NBL games.

CAREER RANKINGS:
– 48th in total blocks

Dan Boyce (811 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.