Thomas Sorber '24 commits to Georgetown

[jwp91]

Did you see someone who starts at 5 at the beginning or the season (depending on whom we add via the portal)? Or by the end of the season?

[saxagael]

Apr 13, 2024 20:37:01 GMT -5 jwp91 said:

Did you see someone who starts at 5 at the beginning or the season (depending on whom we add via the portal)? Or by the end of the season?

Sorber with his build (wiry, long, and agile) would get owned by BE bigs. Perhaps more so than Fielder was.

A physical style comparison right now may be someone like Jabari Smith, Jr. at Houston with a long, athletic, agile movements, and wiry and tough. But, not a middle big banger. Sorber reminds me of the long Kentucky players of years back and the type of player OKC seemed to pick in the draft year after year the last 4 years or so with 6'7" to 6'10" long, athletic, wiry players who play like tall long guards and wings.

Sorber was getting his hands above the rim with ease on both ends. His putbacks were effortless.

The bigs in the game were all on the US side as teammates. Sorber's teammate, Peyton Marshall, headed to Missouri at 6'11" and maybe 240 or 250 is that middle big player needed to handle the BE bigs.

[MCIGuy]

IMO Sorber will do just fine at the five in the Big East. Has a better body coming in than Ighodaro. And most of those grown ass bigs of the BE this past season are about to be gone.

[saxagael]

Apr 14, 2024 1:37:38 GMT -5 MCIGuy said:

IMO Sorber will do just fine at the five in the Big East. Has a better body coming in than Ighodaro. And most of those grown ass bigs of the BE this past season are about to be gone.

Tim has 30+ pounds on Sorber comparing incoming to incoming. Tim wasn't athletic and couldn't shoot. Sorber dropped weight to deal with knee and back issues and has a lot of bounce. Tim could physically hold his own from day (he had very little understanding of the game). Sorber is an inch taller than Cook but also about 30 pounds lighter and Cook gets moved around with ease by BE bigs. Sorber is lighter, shorter, and more agile than Fielder and Fielder fits well in a stretch 4 and tall wing role than the 5.

Sorber can rim protect really well, but holding ground to defend with his size isn't going to be an option in the slightest.

[EtomicB]

Apr 14, 2024 9:36:45 GMT -5 saxagael said:

Apr 14, 2024 1:37:38 GMT -5 MCIGuy said:

IMO Sorber will do just fine at the five in the Big East. Has a better body coming in than Ighodaro. And most of those grown ass bigs of the BE this past season are about to be gone.

Tim has 30+ pounds on Sorber comparing incoming to incoming. Tim wasn't athletic and couldn't shoot. Sorber dropped weight to deal with knee and back issues and has a lot of bounce. Tim could physically hold his own from day (he had very little understanding of the game). Sorber is an inch taller than Cook but also about 30 pounds lighter and Cook gets moved around with ease by BE bigs. Sorber is lighter, shorter, and more agile than Fielder and Fielder fits well in a stretch 4 and tall wing role than the 5.

Sorber can rim protect really well, but holding ground to defend with his size isn't going to be an option in the slightest.

Pretty sure MCI was referring to Oso Igadaro(sp?) not Tim I. from Gtown

[saxagael]

Apr 14, 2024 10:08:25 GMT -5 EtomicB said:

Apr 14, 2024 9:36:45 GMT -5 saxagael said:

Tim has 30+ pounds on Sorber comparing incoming to incoming. Tim wasn't athletic and couldn't shoot. Sorber dropped weight to deal with knee and back issues and has a lot of bounce. Tim could physically hold his own from day (he had very little understanding of the game). Sorber is an inch taller than Cook but also about 30 pounds lighter and Cook gets moved around with ease by BE bigs. Sorber is lighter, shorter, and more agile than Fielder and Fielder fits well in a stretch 4 and tall wing role than the 5.

Sorber can rim protect really well, but holding ground to defend with his size isn't going to be an option in the slightest.

Pretty sure MCI was referring to Oso Igadaro(sp?) not Tim I. from Gtown

You are correct. I need more coffee as my first cup seems to have been broken.

[jwp91]

Apr 14, 2024 9:36:45 GMT -5 saxagael said:

Apr 14, 2024 1:37:38 GMT -5 MCIGuy said:

IMO Sorber will do just fine at the five in the Big East. Has a better body coming in than Ighodaro. And most of those grown ass bigs of the BE this past season are about to be gone.

Tim has 30+ pounds on Sorber comparing incoming to incoming. Tim wasn't athletic and couldn't shoot. Sorber dropped weight to deal with knee and back issues and has a lot of bounce. Tim could physically hold his own from day (he had very little understanding of the game). Sorber is an inch taller than Cook but also about 30 pounds lighter and Cook gets moved around with ease by BE bigs. Sorber is lighter, shorter, and more agile than Fielder and Fielder fits well in a stretch 4 and tall wing role than the 5.

Sorber can rim protect really well, but holding ground to defend with his size isn't going to be an option in the slightest.

In a game of match-ups, we definitely need a center who can deal with big body opposing centers. We may not need that all 40 minutes of this capability every game, but we definitely need to be able to handle it when it happens.

Epps, Styles, and Peavy will work as wings against small ball line-ups, but against say a Xavier with Freemantle at the 4, then we may need a big 4...say Fielder or Sorber instead. That is fine, we have different pieces that can different looks and address different match-ups.

[saxagael]

Apr 14, 2024 11:55:58 GMT -5 jwp91 said:

Apr 14, 2024 9:36:45 GMT -5 saxagael said:

Tim has 30+ pounds on Sorber comparing incoming to incoming. Tim wasn't athletic and couldn't shoot. Sorber dropped weight to deal with knee and back issues and has a lot of bounce. Tim could physically hold his own from day (he had very little understanding of the game). Sorber is an inch taller than Cook but also about 30 pounds lighter and Cook gets moved around with ease by BE bigs. Sorber is lighter, shorter, and more agile than Fielder and Fielder fits well in a stretch 4 and tall wing role than the 5.

Sorber can rim protect really well, but holding ground to defend with his size isn't going to be an option in the slightest.

In a game of match-ups, we definitely need a center who can deal with big body opposing centers. We may not need that all 40 minutes of this capability every game, but we definitely need to be able to handle it when it happens.

Epps, Styles, and Peavy will work as wings against small ball line-ups, but against say a Xavier with Freemantle at the 4, then we may need a big 4...say Fielder or Sorber instead. That is fine, we have different pieces that can different looks and address different match-ups.

There are six BE teams with big body bigs in the middle that currently Hoyas don't have a great answer for. Fielder may be able to cover that a bit, but Cook struggled.

The off ball guards and wings priority order could change over the course of the year. Fielder and Sorber as stretch 4s and big attacking wings. But, there is now Epps, Styles, Peavy, McKenna (who may be the best shooter and bucket getter, but I haven't seen him play since a year ago June in a summer camp game with Glen Egl, and he's been red shirting on the Hoya team since last January and it sounds like he was quite good in practices and scrimmages), Williams, and Mulready. The need to cover minutes at point would be Williams, Peavy, and Mulready. Peavy was paired with the TCU PG bringing the ball up last year and did is really well and sees the court really well and creates for others well when on ball.

If Hoyas lock-in a solid PG, there are good options to give him relief minutes and have two or three solid players with point skills on the court at once, while leaving Epps off ball. There are a lot of off ball options as well that are improvements over this last season with players who can score and pass the ball to keep in moving.

[IDenj]

Full credit to the young man who has put in the effort and time to reshape his body. He also has a full 6 months to get more muscle on his frame. Praying the program can help get him physically ready.

[hoyaboya]

#56 in the Final Rivals ranking for the class of 2024.

n.rivals.com/prospect_rankings/rivals150/2024?position=ALL%20POSITIONS

[MCIGuy]

Apr 14, 2024 12:14:16 GMT -5 saxagael said:

Apr 14, 2024 11:55:58 GMT -5 jwp91 said:

In a game of match-ups, we definitely need a center who can deal with big body opposing centers. We may not need that all 40 minutes of this capability every game, but we definitely need to be able to handle it when it happens.

Epps, Styles, and Peavy will work as wings against small ball line-ups, but against say a Xavier with Freemantle at the 4, then we may need a big 4...say Fielder or Sorber instead. That is fine, we have different pieces that can different looks and address different match-ups.

There are six BE teams with big body bigs in the middle that currently Hoyas don't have a great answer for. Fielder may be able to cover that a bit, but Cook struggled.

The off ball guards and wings priority order could change over the course of the year. Fielder and Sorber as stretch 4s and big attacking wings. But, there is now Epps, Styles, Peavy, McKenna (who may be the best shooter and bucket getter, but I haven't seen him play since a year ago June in a summer camp game with Glen Egl, and he's been red shirting on the Hoya team since last January and it sounds like he was quite good in practices and scrimmages), Williams, and Mulready. The need to cover minutes at point would be Williams, Peavy, and Mulready. Peavy was paired with the TCU PG bringing the ball up last year and did is really well and sees the court really well and creates for others well when on ball.

Wow. Actual inside information about how a player may be doing in practice? Such a rarity for this fanbase. Cool info to know.

[practice]

I'm assuming that we add another big body in the transfer portal. Fingers crossed that Malik Mack signs ... but that still leaves 3 scholarship slots. That being said, I see Sorber playing quite a bit - let's bring back the high post passing big man! He's listed various places at either 6'9 or 6'10 and anywhere between 235 to 245. I would guess that adding back some mass -- and hopefully a little more muscle ... is the plan. But it would be great if we could get a serviceable 4 foul 6'11 270+ upperclassman for some physicality/fouls.

[saxagael]

Apr 17, 2024 9:25:20 GMT -5 practice said:

I'm assuming that we add another big body in the transfer portal. Fingers crossed that Malik Mack signs ... but that still leaves 3 scholarship slots. That being said, I see Sorber playing quite a bit - let's bring back the high post passing big man! He's listed various places at either 6'9 or 6'10 and anywhere between 235 to 245. I would guess that adding back some mass -- and hopefully a little more muscle ... is the plan. But it would be great if we could get a serviceable 4 foul 6'11 270+ upperclassman for some physicality/fouls.

Sorber is 6'9", long, but probably closer to 225 than 235. He lost 20 pounds between his junior and senior years to help knee and back problems. His shoulders have filled out a bit from early senior season. His weight will likely stay on the lean side. But he is insanely agile and bouncy. Think of rim protection from an Akok perspective, but is very scrappy inside getting rebounds. Really solid inside and outside passer, but also great hands. Very good inside and mid-range shooting, and decent from outside (nice form and can gets them to drop) a little behind Fielders good outside shooting. Quite good on defense outside, middle, but his lack of bulk makes him not a great option inside against BE big bigs.

[EtomicB]

Apr 17, 2024 10:38:40 GMT -5 saxagael said:

Apr 17, 2024 9:25:20 GMT -5 practice said:

I'm assuming that we add another big body in the transfer portal. Fingers crossed that Malik Mack signs ... but that still leaves 3 scholarship slots. That being said, I see Sorber playing quite a bit - let's bring back the high post passing big man! He's listed various places at either 6'9 or 6'10 and anywhere between 235 to 245. I would guess that adding back some mass -- and hopefully a little more muscle ... is the plan. But it would be great if we could get a serviceable 4 foul 6'11 270+ upperclassman for some physicality/fouls.

Sorber is 6'9", long, but probably closer to 225 than 235. He lost 20 pounds between his junior and senior years to help knee and back problems. His shoulders have filled out a bit from early senior season. His weight will likely stay on the lean side. But he is insanely agile and bouncy. Think of rim protection from an Akok perspective, but is very scrappy inside getting rebounds. Really solid inside and outside passer, but also great hands. Very good inside and mid-range shooting, and decent from outside (nice form and can gets them to drop) a little behind Fielders good outside shooting. Quite good on defense outside, middle, but his lack of bulk makes him not a great option inside against BE big bigs.

How many back to the basket bigs are there left in the BE? An even better question is how many teams play that way the majority of the time.

This worry about weight or bulk is completely overblown.

[SFHoya99]

Apr 17, 2024 9:25:20 GMT -5 practice said:

I'm assuming that we add another big body in the transfer portal. Fingers crossed that Malik Mack signs ... but that still leaves 3 scholarship slots. That being said, I see Sorber playing quite a bit - let's bring back the high post passing big man! He's listed various places at either 6'9 or 6'10 and anywhere between 235 to 245. I would guess that adding back some mass -- and hopefully a little more muscle ... is the plan. But it would be great if we could get a serviceable 4 foul 6'11 270+ upperclassman for some physicality/fouls.

My ideal situation is a Fielder / Sorber / Transfer rotation across the 4 and 5, with Cook sliding to more of a disaster scenario or unique matchups. But that does rely on Fielder and Sorber being able to defend at the 4; I think they will be fine offensively there. Their offense will allow us to get a 5 that is simply defense, rather than needing a do it all.

I don't need two bigs, and probably don't want two unless they are just spectacular. I think both Fielder and Sorber could be really good and want to see them develop. We'll also play smaller ball quite a bit so we don't need a ton of bigs.

I can see a world where Fielder and Sorber are actually capable defensively next year -- or enough for us to be decent -- but from the outside, as a fan, it's tough to really gauge.

[SFHoya99]

Apr 17, 2024 10:59:31 GMT -5 EtomicB said:

Apr 17, 2024 10:38:40 GMT -5 saxagael said:

Sorber is 6'9", long, but probably closer to 225 than 235. He lost 20 pounds between his junior and senior years to help knee and back problems. His shoulders have filled out a bit from early senior season. His weight will likely stay on the lean side. But he is insanely agile and bouncy. Think of rim protection from an Akok perspective, but is very scrappy inside getting rebounds. Really solid inside and outside passer, but also great hands. Very good inside and mid-range shooting, and decent from outside (nice form and can gets them to drop) a little behind Fielders good outside shooting. Quite good on defense outside, middle, but his lack of bulk makes him not a great option inside against BE big bigs.

How many back to the basket bigs are there left in the BE? An even better question is how many teams play that way the majority of the time.

This worry about weight or bulk is completely overblown.

At this point, you almost want to encourage low post play. There's ways to deal with it. It's the ability to cover on the perimeter, handle a pick and roll and rotate effectively to help on drives while still rebounding that is far more vital. I'll take a game or two next year where Sorber gets a bit bullied if he can do those other things.

When we're focusing on strength down low or height in our guards, it's like people think we're contending for a national title next year. Let's get talent on the floor and start playing some defense. Get to respectable, then we can talk these margins.

[prhoya]

Apr 17, 2024 10:59:31 GMT -5 EtomicB said:

Apr 17, 2024 10:38:40 GMT -5 saxagael said:

Sorber is 6'9", long, but probably closer to 225 than 235. He lost 20 pounds between his junior and senior years to help knee and back problems. His shoulders have filled out a bit from early senior season. His weight will likely stay on the lean side. But he is insanely agile and bouncy. Think of rim protection from an Akok perspective, but is very scrappy inside getting rebounds. Really solid inside and outside passer, but also great hands. Very good inside and mid-range shooting, and decent from outside (nice form and can gets them to drop) a little behind Fielders good outside shooting. Quite good on defense outside, middle, but his lack of bulk makes him not a great option inside against BE big bigs.

How many back to the basket bigs are there left in the BE? An even better question is how many teams play that way the majority of the time.

This worry about weight or bulk is completely overblown.

The FF had size and bulk at the 5. GU’s last BET had size at the 5. GU’s last FF had size at the 5. It’s not a worry; it’s what wins big in college basketball.

Of course, it’s not just the size, but how that player can be a mismatch on offense and a deterrent on defense.

[saxagael]

Apr 17, 2024 10:59:31 GMT -5 EtomicB said:

Apr 17, 2024 10:38:40 GMT -5 saxagael said:

Sorber is 6'9", long, but probably closer to 225 than 235. He lost 20 pounds between his junior and senior years to help knee and back problems. His shoulders have filled out a bit from early senior season. His weight will likely stay on the lean side. But he is insanely agile and bouncy. Think of rim protection from an Akok perspective, but is very scrappy inside getting rebounds. Really solid inside and outside passer, but also great hands. Very good inside and mid-range shooting, and decent from outside (nice form and can gets them to drop) a little behind Fielders good outside shooting. Quite good on defense outside, middle, but his lack of bulk makes him not a great option inside against BE big bigs.

How many back to the basket bigs are there left in the BE? An even better question is how many teams play that way the majority of the time.

This worry about weight or bulk is completely overblown.

There are 5 or 6 teams in the BE teams that have the 250+ pound bigs that Cook struggled with and Fielder as they moved them around with ease around. Clingan is gone, but most other teams either still have their big bigs or replaced them.

Sorber's game is similar to Fielder, but more athletic and fluid. If you think of a shorter Akok, but more athletic you also end up at Sorber. The Akok side is a rim protector against non-bigs. With Cook and Fielder getting moved around that is more of the case with Sorber, but also goes against what Sorber brings. He isn't the answer for a big in the middle.

[jwp91]

Apr 17, 2024 12:11:37 GMT -5 saxagael said:

Apr 17, 2024 10:59:31 GMT -5 EtomicB said:

How many back to the basket bigs are there left in the BE? An even better question is how many teams play that way the majority of the time.

This worry about weight or bulk is completely overblown.

There are 5 or 6 teams in the BE teams that have the 250+ pound bigs that Cook struggled with and Fielder as they moved them around with ease around. Clingan is gone, but most other teams either still have their big bigs or replaced them.

Sorber's game is similar to Fielder, but more athletic and fluid. If you think of a shorter Akok, but more athletic you also end up at Sorber. The Akok side is a rim protector against non-bigs. With Cook and Fielder getting moved around that is more of the case with Sorber, but also goes against what Sorber brings. He isn't the answer for a big in the middle.

Would you be more specific about which teams these are?

[saxagael]

Apr 17, 2024 12:18:05 GMT -5 jwp91 said:

Apr 17, 2024 12:11:37 GMT -5 saxagael said:

There are 5 or 6 teams in the BE teams that have the 250+ pound bigs that Cook struggled with and Fielder as they moved them around with ease around. Clingan is gone, but most other teams either still have their big bigs or replaced them.

Sorber's game is similar to Fielder, but more athletic and fluid. If you think of a shorter Akok, but more athletic you also end up at Sorber. The Akok side is a rim protector against non-bigs. With Cook and Fielder getting moved around that is more of the case with Sorber, but also goes against what Sorber brings. He isn't the answer for a big in the middle.

Would you be more specific about which teams these are?

The teams that last years had a 250+ player with solid minutes that the Hoyas struggled and they are staying or have a replacement that is similar (potral (there were 3 picked up in 3 days last ween in the BE) or player moving to more minutes): Xavier; Villanova, St. John's, Seton Hall, and Creighton. The Big East trend seems to be having a 250+ player for some minutes in the middle is a common.

I've not actively kept track of exactly who is where, but the three that came out of the portal in the last week or so caused the "here we go again" trigger.

[This didn't include Providence, who picked up 260+ Christ Essandoko]