Syracuse Basketball: 4-star Philly recruits ball out at Albany AAU event

Two Syracuse basketball 2024 four-star recruiting targets out of the Philadelphia market put together strong performances over the weekend at an AAU showcase in the Albany, N.Y., area.

Numerous top-flight AAU teams suited up this past weekend at the GymRat LIVE event, which was held at the Impact Athletic Center in the Albany suburb of Halfmoon, N.Y.

One of the grassroots basketball squads playing at GymRat LIVE was the Philadelphia-based Team Final in Nike’s EYBL league. Two standouts for Team Final are four-star juniors Jalil Bethea and Thomas Sorber, both of whom appear to be priority targets for Syracuse basketball coaches in the 2024 class.

Both the 6-foot-4 Bethea, a point guard/shooting guard, and the 6-foot-9 Sorber, a center, played well at the GymRat LIVE event, according to box scores provided by The Circuit on Twitter. In one of Team Final’s games in Albany, it defeated an excellent opponent, the Baltimore-based Team Thrill in the Under Armour Association league.

Team Thrill is led by Derik Queen, a five-star big man in the 2024 class who was offered a scholarship by the ‘Cuse in October of 2021. The Orange is not currently a contender in his recruitment, as far as I can tell.

Syracuse basketball 2024 four-star recruits from Philly were great at an AAU competition.

Per The Circuit, Sorber had 12 points and five rebounds in one game. In a second contest, he tallied 11 points, eight boards and four blocks.

Bethea, meanwhile, put on a high-scoring display. He collected 26 points, four rebounds and two assists in one encounter. In a second game, Bethea produced 26 points, five boards and three dimes.

Both Sorber and Bethea are among the fastest-rising players across the country in the 2024 class. They have vaulted up the national rankings within the junior cycle on several occasions lately.

Bethea earned Philadelphia Catholic League MVP honors and was named an All-American by MaxPreps for his terrific 2022-23 season at Archbishop Wood Catholic High School in Warminster, Pa.

In March, Syracuse basketball coaches watched Bethea in person twice. Archbishop Wood made it to the semifinals of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (“PIAA”) 6A tournament. He was offered a scholarship by the ‘Cuse in September of 2022 and took an official visit to the Hill the following month.

Sorber, a star for Archbishop Ryan High School in Philadelphia, was named to the Philadelphia Catholic League’s All-Catholic first team in 2022-23. He also received an All-America honorable-mention nod from MaxPreps.

Last month, Orange coaches also watched Sorber in person. Archbishop Ryan advanced to the semifinals of the PIAA 5A playoffs.

In August of 2022, Syracuse basketball coaches offered a scholarship to Sorber around the time that he competed in the team’s annual Elite Camp. A recent media report says that Sorber would like to visit the ‘Cuse.