College Basketball Career
After graduating high school, Worthy attended the University of North Carolina (UNC). He quickly became a standout at UNC but saw his freshman year cut short by a broken ankle suffered near mid-season. As a sophomore he was a key member of that school's 1981 NCAA runner-up team, playing with Al Wood and Sam Perkins.
As a junior power forward, Worthy was the leading scorer (15.6 points per game) of a Tar Heels NCAA championship team which featured future NBA stars Sam Perkins and freshman Michael Jordan. A consensus first team All-American, Worthy shared College Player of the Year honors with Virginia Cavalier Ralph Sampson. The 1982 championship game against the Georgetown Hoyas is notable for Worthy's steal of a pass inadvertently thrown to him by the Hoyas' point guard Fred Brown, which sealed the Tar Heels' 63–62 victory. For the game, Worthy shot 13–17 from the field, scored 28 points and had 4 rebounds, capping a standout performance which won him the NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player. His tip dunk in front of Patrick Ewing made the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine.
Following this success, Worthy elected to forgo his senior year and enter the NBA draft. He completed his degree later, via summer school. He is one of eight UNC players to have their numbers retired.
Read more about this topic: James Worthy
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