In front of Syracuse basketball coaches, 4-star big puts on defensive clinic

Syracuse basketball recruit Thomas Sorber and his teammates are two wins away from a state title in Pennsylvania.

The 6-foot-9 Sorber, a bruising and talented four-star power forward/center in the 2024 class, was fabulous on the defensive end in helping to lead his squad, Archbishop Ryan High School in Philadelphia, to a 69-65 victory over Radnor High School from Radnor, Pa., in a quarterfinal battle on Friday night in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (“PIAA”) 5A tournament.

Per a tweet from the terrific Ari Rosenfeld, the owner and scouting director for ELITE High School Scouting, Orange head coach Adrian Autry and associate head coach Gerry McNamara were at this PIAA playoff game to watch Sorber, who is a top-70 national prospect and a top-10 center in the junior cycle, per multiple recruiting services.

Up next, Sorber and Archbishop Ryan will go toe to toe with the Imhotep Institute Charter High School out of Philadelphia in the PIAA semifinals on Monday, March 20. Imhotep is led by 2023 five-star small forward Justin Edwards, who held a ‘Cuse offer but is committed to Kentucky.

Syracuse basketball faces stiff competition for 2024 four-star big man Thomas Sorber.

My hope is that with the Orange coaching staff watching Sorber in person, perhaps it may signal that the ‘Cuse is ramping up its recruitment of this young man, who continues to climb up the national rankings in the 2024 class.

In Archbishop Ryan’s triumph over Radnor, Sorber tallied 14 points and a ridiculous nine blocks, per a tweet from ELITE High School Scouting. That national scouting service added in its tweet here that Sorber played “some of the finest defense you’ll see in a (high school) game.”

Sorber also collected 12 rebounds against Radnor, according to an article from Andrew Robinson on cityofbasketballlove.com. Not a bad showing (I kid, I kid) for Sorber on a big stage in front of Syracuse basketball coaches.

Last August, Sorber took an unofficial visit to the Hill to compete in the Orange’s annual Elite Camp. Around that time, the ‘Cuse offered him a scholarship. In late January, the ‘Cuse coaching staff was in attendance as Archbishop Ryan battled Archbishop Wood Catholic High School from Warminster, Pa.

Archbishop Ryan won that encounter by a final count of 55-54. A standout for Archbishop Wood is 2024 four-star guard Jalil Bethea, who is a priority target for Syracuse basketball in the junior cycle.

Sorber and the 6-foot-4 Bethea, by the way, have been AAU teammates, suiting up for the Philadelphia-based Team Final in Nike’s EYBL league.

As I opined in an article not too long ago, I’d love to see Bethea and Sorber end up donning Orange uniforms down the line. They would prove an excellent duo from the Philadelphia area to join the ‘Cuse.

Bethea even said in a recent interview, when asked if there is anybody he’d like to team up with in college, “Definitely my guy, Thomas Sorber.”

At this juncture in his recruiting process, besides Syracuse basketball, Sorber’s offer sheet includes Villanova, Xavier, Miami, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Georgetown, Providence, Mississippi State, Richmond, La Salle, Saint Joseph’s, Bryant, George Mason, Drexel and Albany.