Worthington departs from Slammers

Decorated NBL legend Mark Worthington has parted company with the South West Slammers. On the back of two seasons as head coach of the men’s program, Worthington, pictured, had accepted a role as the club’s head of development, along with a place on the club’s board. The head of development portfolio will now be overseen by Wayne Hayres. Despite no official role with the Slammers next season, Worthington’s support for the club will remain. “I have full faith in both Sean Tilbrook (Slammers chair) and Wayne Hayres in helping the club move forward,” he said. “Although I will have no involvement in the Slammers, I will still support them from afar and hope they can once again be on top of the WA basketball standings.” Worthington, who works in the banking industry, will not be lost to basketball, after recently being appointed as a talent scout for the NBA-based Washington Wizards. Tilbrook praised Worthington’s impact on the club during his stint as head coach, with a number of talented youngsters — including Caleb Van De Griend, Rhys Barrett and Cody Hill — taking massive strides under his guidance. “We have been fortunate over the past two years that this young cohort managed to get more court minutes than any previous cohort,” he said. “So the development in this area is quite exciting, in terms of the future. “We have got a dozen kids at the moment who are 30 games into their NBL1 West career. If we can keep these guys together, as they mature, we will just need one or two pieces. I think we will be in the mode where we will have a really strong local contingent.” Tilbrook has no doubts Worthington will always bleed red, white and blue, irrespective of his role in basketball. “I still have a great relationship with Mark,” he said. “And when the time is right, he can step back in.” Shane Goff, who worked as one of Worthington’s assistants during his stint, will coach the men’s program in 2022.