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Area Varsity Coach Willie Worsley Cherishes Memory Of Historic NCAA Title

SPRING VALLEY, N.Y. - Spring Valley High School varsity boys basketball coach Willie Worsley has had a long career in the sport, and owns much knowledge to share with his players.

Former NCAA champion and current Spring Valley High boys basketball coach Willie Worsley.

Former NCAA champion and current Spring Valley High boys basketball coach Willie Worsley.

Photo Credit: Skip Pearlman

But Worsley also played a role in the game's history, as one of the five starters for the Texas Western Miners - the first-ever, all-black five starters to reach the NCAA finals - in 1966. The Miners beat Kentucky to win the national title, inspiring the 2006 movie "Glory Road."

The team is in the National Hall of Fame, and Worsley said it ranks among his fondest moments.

"The most important thing is - we were national champions," Worsley told Daily Voice with a broad smile. "And once you're a champion, no one can take that from you. The second most important thing was being a part of history - that, no one can take from you.

"What does it mean to me? Not much," Worsley added with a laugh. "It means we had a better team than Kentucky had... We have a 50-year anniversary next year, and we'll celebrate. Not many teams celebrate a 50-year anniversary."

And not many teams win a national championship.

Another fond memory for Worsley is winning a City Championship in high school in 1963 - at the old Madison Square Garden, no less, while he was in DeWitt Clinton HS in NYC.

"I've been very fortunate in basketball," Worsley added. "I also won a high school championship... That was also one of the top memories for me."

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