A star-studded night at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center recognized the best of the best in local basketball Wednesday evening, as the Via All-Star Basketball Banquet solidified itself as the premier ceremony for local sports.

Highlighted by former Los Angeles Laker James Worthy speaking to the capacity crowd, the Via event demonstrated the importance of local sports in the area and put a spotlight on the area's best to play on the courts over the past season, as well as recognize the greats of the past that have helped the sport, and the event, grow to its current levels.

Gauging by the size of the event and the support generated, it even impressed Worthy, who won an NCAA championship with North Carolina, as well as three NBA titles with the Lakers.

"This is my first time anywhere in Pennsylvania outside of Philadelphia," said Worthy about his thoughts on the area. "I look out my hotel window and you can still see all the history here with the steel production and it reminds me of the great history here. This is a close-knit community and you really get that sense when you're at an event like this."

Worthy's message as the keynote speaker on the night centered around academics and wanted to let players know that their chances of becoming a professional in the workforce, highly outnumbered the chances of being a professional athlete.

He told a story of how his mother made him sit out the final 14 games during his eighth-grade season because he came home with a report card that featured two C's, one D and an F.

For Worthy, who was 6-foot-8 at the time, the discipline his mother bestowed upon him resonated.

"It was a blessing in disguise," he told the crowd. "We had a pep rally in school, and it was a big game and my coach comes up to me about an hour before the game and said 'James, I am sorry, but I just got off the phone with your mom and she said your season is done.' I was the best player on the team, but I couldn't play. It taught me a lesson."

And Worthy's point was that most of the players in attendance won't be playing sports in the NBA or professional ranks, let alone in college. That's why he wanted to hammer home the message of focusing on academics to become a team owner, instead of an athlete.

"I just felt like I should be speaking directly to these kids because I used to be where they are," Worthy said following the conclusion of the banquet and a long line of players waiting for pictures and autographs. "It's always good to remind them that they're probably not going to make it in professional sports and to really pursue something else first."

Nazareth's Chelsea Gary and Moravian Academy's Luke Gutekunst appeared to have that message ingrained in them before the event, as they took home scholar-athlete awards from the banquet.

All the Via teams, who would compete against each other this past Saturday at Northampton Community College, were introduced to the public, as well as players of the year, Central Catholic's Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman and Southern Lehigh's Madelene McDonald.

Former Emmaus center and current seven-year NBA veteran, Aaron Gray, along with former Central Catholic star, Sara Antolick, highlighted the most current crop of players from the area to be elected into the Lehigh Valley Basketball Hall of Fame. Tom Brennan, a standout player for Phillipsburg Catholic in the late 60s, who also was the head coach of Vermont, was inducted alongside RCN broadcaster Gary Laubach.