Syracuse Basketball: Philly 4-star priority targets ousted in state semifinals

Syracuse basketball 2024 four-star priority targets Thomas Sorber and Jalil Bethea saw their respective runs in 2023 Pennsylvania state tournaments end earlier this week.

On Monday, Sorber and his teammates at Archbishop Ryan High School in Philadelphia lost, 72-50, to the Imhotep Institute Charter High School in Philadelphia.

That contest was the semifinal round of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (“PIAA”) 5A tournament. The 6-foot-9 Sorber, a talented power forward/center, finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, according to an article from Rich Flanagan on philadelphiasportsdigest.com.

Imhotep was paced by 2023 five-star small forward Justin Edwards, who held a ‘Cuse scholarship offer but is committed to Kentucky. Edwards tallied 14 points and 10 boards.

Syracuse basketball four-star targets fell just short of reaching state title games.

On Tuesday, in the semifinals of the PIAA 6A playoffs, the 6-foot-4 Bethea and his squad, Archbishop Wood Catholic High School in Warminster, Pa., lost by a final count of 66-56 to Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia.

Per a tweet from Flanagan, the point guard/shooting guard generated 23 points in Archbishop Wood’s setback.

Both Bethea and Sorber have proven stellar in their junior seasons within the loaded Philadelphia Catholic League.

During the 2022-23 term, Bethea and Sorber each were named to the Philadelphia Catholic League’s All-Catholic first team, while Bethea captured MVP honors in this conference.

As I’ve noted in a few recent columns, the Orange coaching staff, led by new Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry, has been in attendance lately to watch Bethea and Sorber suit up in their respective PIAA tournaments.

Last August, Sorber made an unofficial visit to the Hill to compete in the Orange’s annual Elite Camp. Around that time, the ‘Cuse offered him a scholarship.

Syracuse basketball coaches, meanwhile, offered Bethea in late September of 2022. Then, the following month, he took an official visit to the Orange campus.

Both of these 2024 prospects have extensive offer sheets. I’m also getting the sense that each is a high-priority recruit for Syracuse basketball in the junior class.

Sorber and Bethea are AAU teammates, having competed for the Philadelphia-based Team Final in Nike’s EYBL league.

At this juncture, several recruiting services rank Sorber as a top-70 national prospect and a top-10 center in the 2024 cycle.

Bethea is a fast riser in the junior class, with Rivals.com recently moving him from No. 80 to No. 39 overall in his cycle.