Thomas Sorber '24 commits to Georgetown

[dense]

May 18, 2023 0:21:03 GMT -5 kghoya said:

May 17, 2023 17:55:54 GMT -5 hoyasaxaphone said:

He never became "ready" and probably would not have been "ready" had he waited a year. He was a low impact player in high school in a weak league. No clue how he got rated the way he did. Strange stuff.

Let's come at this from a different angle. How often are reclass guys successful?

Most reclass cases are kids going back to their original year so I don't know of they apply to this situation. Like the kids are in a class where they are coming in at 19/20 as freshmen, then revert back to 18/19 because they were planning on taking a prep year for better offers or grades.

[beenaround]

Looks like a real good get. Let’s hope he sticks with us through signing day.

[xpathoya]

Casual Hoya with a link to a good read from last year that provides more background on Sorber.

How Archbishop Ryan’s Thomas Sorber became the center of attention for college basketball coaches | Philadelphia Inquirer

Article's behind a paywall, but here are some snippets:

Tenneh Sorber always knew there was something about her youngest child. He was, after all, born on Christmas Day.

“Thomas is a special child,” she said after Ryan outlasted St. Frances (Md.) last week. “He’s my Messiah, my Jesus, my everything.”

She had come to the U.S. in 1998 while her native Liberia was embroiled in civil war.

When Thomas was 5 years old, Tenneh would drop her two boys at a basketball gym in the Northeast not far from Ryan.

“Summertime, I used to bring him over to play with the bigger guys and his brother, and he used to cry,” she said with a chuckle. “But now, for the work he’s put in, he’s getting results.”

These days, the only tears shed might be from college coaches who miss out on the nimble and ultra-skilled 16-year-old...

Sorber, who transferred to Ryan from Trenton Catholic last year, credits his coordination and footwork to playing soccer as a child.

His father, Peter Sr., who died in 2013 from colon cancer, was a talented, 6-5 soccer player. He was also well known in Trenton’s African community for helping others improve their lives, his son said, especially those seeking life after incarceration.

Sorber’s early basketball acumen, he said, came from watching YouTube videos of former NBA star Dwyane Wade. As he grew, though, he patterned his game after big men such as Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic.

“Most kids think that big men are just people who stand under the rim and get rebounds,” Sorber said, “but knowing you can step outside and shoot a three, bring the ball up like Jokic or Embiid, it’s not just, ‘Oh, you’re just supposed to be [under the basket].’ You can be anywhere on the court...”

On the court, however, it’s not just Sorber’s height that has college coaches clamoring. His skill level, footwork, and instincts coupled with a body that might not be finished growing are what makes him a recruiting gem.

“They all think he can make a big transformation in his body,” said Nate Hodge, Sorber’s AAU coach at Team Final. “And if you combine his size, his skill set, and his feel for the game, and then he gets into the best shape he’s ever been, you might have something really special...”

“He might grow another inch or two,” said Hodge, who thinks passing ability is among Sorber’s best attributes. “He doesn’t look like he’s done. You look at his face and he still kind of has the baby face.”

Just don’t let the smooth face fool you. Sorber also has some feistiness in his game. He doesn’t shy from contact, likes to get the crowd involved, and might interact with officials a time or two.

Off the court, though, Ryan coach Joe Zeglinski said Sorber’s teammates and the school at large took to him quickly.

“Really respectful kid,” Zeglinski said. “He’s the kind of kid you love to coach because you can coach him hard. It starts with how unselfish he is and how his teammates love to play with him. Even the whole school. They love the kid because of the way he is off the court...”

Away from the game, he’s also still his mother’s “baby.” Tenneh said she told all of her children that she would pay for high school, but college was up to them.

“I was very honest with them,” she said. “I’m the only parent. Their father passed away. I told them I can’t do everything. I will try my best.”

[kghoya]

There's just a lot of old guys in college basketball with the covid year still a thing. 23-24 is unlikely to even be an NIT type year for the Hoyas. I'd rather see this guy come in with his class than have a possibly frustrating season against older players while playing on a bad team.

[professorhoya]

May 18, 2023 4:42:54 GMT -5 dense said:

May 18, 2023 0:21:03 GMT -5 kghoya said:

Let's come at this from a different angle. How often are reclass guys successful?

Most reclass cases are kids going back to their original year so I don't know of they apply to this situation. Like the kids are in a class where they are coming in at 19/20 as freshmen, then revert back to 18/19 because they were planning on taking a prep year for better offers or grades.

I’d assume they know if he is going to reclassify or not because if he isn’t we still need a starting center and maybe one rotation big.

[MCIGuy]

May 18, 2023 5:17:53 GMT -5 beenaround said:

Looks like a real good get. Let’s hope he sticks with us through signing day.

Wow. Seriously, dude?

[MCIGuy]

May 18, 2023 10:19:36 GMT -5 professorhoya said:

May 18, 2023 4:42:54 GMT -5 dense said:

Most reclass cases are kids going back to their original year so I don't know of they apply to this situation. Like the kids are in a class where they are coming in at 19/20 as freshmen, then revert back to 18/19 because they were planning on taking a prep year for better offers or grades.

I’d assume they know if he is going to reclassify or not because if he isn’t we still need a starting center and maybe one rotation big.

If the coaches for the Hoyas are actually counting on Sorber as a possible solution for their big man void if he reclassifies then I think that in of itself should be a cause for concern for this new regime. I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt that this isn’t the case.

[hoyasaxa2003]

May 18, 2023 10:19:36 GMT -5 professorhoya said:

May 18, 2023 4:42:54 GMT -5 dense said:

Most reclass cases are kids going back to their original year so I don't know of they apply to this situation. Like the kids are in a class where they are coming in at 19/20 as freshmen, then revert back to 18/19 because they were planning on taking a prep year for better offers or grades.

I’d assume they know if he is going to reclassify or not because if he isn’t we still need a starting center and maybe one rotation big.

I really think people are underselling Mutombo. Is he going to be an All Big East Center? No (or probably not--stranger things have happened). But, last year I actually thought he looked good in the limited minutes provided. He was extremely efficient, and given how clueless everybody was under Ewing the last two years, I thought he did fine. It's still unclear to me why Ewing had him bolted to the bench last year, as I think the kid has talent.

Keep in mind unlike Mourning, Mutombo was a real high school player with real recruiting interest. And while I am not the biggest fan of the expression (because you can be tall and be a bad basketball player), "You can't teach height." I think Mutombo is primed to make a jump under Cooley simply because he will now have access to a better head coach, better assistants, and better strength and conditioning.

And in the modern game, center is arguably the least important position anyway, as it's easier to get by without a true center. A lot of teams do it. Does that mean a great big like Soriano would probably destroy us? Maybe, but it doesn't mean that we cannot be good anyway.

[madgesiq92]

I don't think he will reclassify and we are on a couple of other bigs in the portal.

[professorhoya]

May 18, 2023 11:44:26 GMT -5 MCIGuy said:

May 18, 2023 10:19:36 GMT -5 professorhoya said:

I’d assume they know if he is going to reclassify or not because if he isn’t we still need a starting center and maybe one rotation big.

If the coaches for the Hoyas are actually counting on Sorber as a possible solution for their big man void if he reclassifies then I think that in of itself should be a cause for concern for this new regime. I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt that this isn’t the case.

In the Portal/NIL era you don’t bring in a freshman to sit for a year. That’s too dangerous as you can develop them for a year only to have them portal out after freshman year. That is too big a risk.

So the freshman you do being in have be good enough to either start or be a rotation player from the get go.

[thedragon]

May 18, 2023 12:16:27 GMT -5 hoyasaxa2003 said:

May 18, 2023 10:19:36 GMT -5 professorhoya said:

I’d assume they know if he is going to reclassify or not because if he isn’t we still need a starting center and maybe one rotation big.

I really think people are underselling Mutombo. Is he going to be an All Big East Center? No (or probably not--stranger things have happened). But, last year I actually thought he looked good in the limited minutes provided. He was extremely efficient, and given how clueless everybody was under Ewing the last two years, I thought he did fine. It's still unclear to me why Ewing had him bolted to the bench last year, as I think the kid has talent.

Keep in mind unlike Mourning, Mutombo was a real high school player with real recruiting interest. And while I am not the biggest fan of the expression (because you can be tall and be a bad basketball player), "You can't teach height." I think Mutombo is primed to make a jump under Cooley simply because he will now have access to a better head coach, better assistants, and better strength and conditioning.

And in the modern game, center is arguably the least important position anyway, as it's easier to get by without a true center. A lot of teams do it. Does that mean a great big like Soriano would probably destroy us? Maybe, but it doesn't mean that we cannot be good anyway.

I think some people are overselling. Lol.
Imo, he's not a high major player, and shouldn't be higher than 3rd string unless everything about his game from footwork to agility to instincts to offensive repertoire and beyond have improved. On a 2-18 team last year he was essentially 4th string behind a former player/manager. And from the leaked/rumored staff discussion with recruits this offseason - they would prefer not to even play him in a backup role.

[professorhoya]

May 18, 2023 12:16:27 GMT -5 hoyasaxa2003 said:

May 18, 2023 10:19:36 GMT -5 professorhoya said:

I’d assume they know if he is going to reclassify or not because if he isn’t we still need a starting center and maybe one rotation big.

I really think people are underselling Mutombo. Is he going to be an All Big East Center? No (or probably not--stranger things have happened). But, last year I actually thought he looked good in the limited minutes provided. He was extremely efficient, and given how clueless everybody was under Ewing the last two years, I thought he did fine. It's still unclear to me why Ewing had him bolted to the bench last year, as I think the kid has talent.

Keep in mind unlike Mourning, Mutombo was a real high school player with real recruiting interest. And while I am not the biggest fan of the expression (because you can be tall and be a bad basketball player), "You can't teach height." I think Mutombo is primed to make a jump under Cooley simply because he will now have access to a better head coach, better assistants, and better strength and conditioning.

And in the modern game, center is arguably the least important position anyway, as it's easier to get by without a true center. A lot of teams do it. Does that mean a great big like Soriano would probably destroy us? Maybe, but it doesn't mean that we cannot be good anyway.

Mutombo lacks burst, explosives and speed, quickness.
He has some size and some decent skills. Yeah see him asa rotation player but not a big east level starter and someone who will be in foul trouble if relies upon to provide too many minutes.

Mutombo to me best case scenario seems like a serviceable rotation big who can get 15-20 min a game. Like Mathew Nicholson a Northwestern who had 21 min, 5.4 rebounds, 6.3 points.

He also is a risk because it’s unknown if he can produce at this level since he hasn’t produced (regardless of the reason for it) and wasn’t highly ranked out of high school. So I don’t see how anyone can pencil him in as the starter and say we don’t need anyone else. At the very least you need to bring in someone via portal who has produced at the high d1 level and have a competition for the starting center spot.

[professorhoya]

May 18, 2023 13:00:35 GMT -5 thedragon said:

May 18, 2023 12:16:27 GMT -5 hoyasaxa2003 said:

I really think people are underselling Mutombo. Is he going to be an All Big East Center? No (or probably not--stranger things have happened). But, last year I actually thought he looked good in the limited minutes provided. He was extremely efficient, and given how clueless everybody was under Ewing the last two years, I thought he did fine. It's still unclear to me why Ewing had him bolted to the bench last year, as I think the kid has talent.

Keep in mind unlike Mourning, Mutombo was a real high school player with real recruiting interest. And while I am not the biggest fan of the expression (because you can be tall and be a bad basketball player), "You can't teach height." I think Mutombo is primed to make a jump under Cooley simply because he will now have access to a better head coach, better assistants, and better strength and conditioning.

And in the modern game, center is arguably the least important position anyway, as it's easier to get by without a true center. A lot of teams do it. Does that mean a great big like Soriano would probably destroy us? Maybe, but it doesn't mean that we cannot be good anyway.

I think some people are overselling. Lol.
Imo, he's not a high major player, and shouldn't be higher than 3rd string unless everything about his game from footwork to agility to instincts to offensive repertoire and beyond have improved. On a 2-18 team last year he was essentially 4th string behind a former player/manager. And from the leaked/rumored staff discussion with recruits this offseason - they would prefer not to even play him in a backup role.

In 2003s case, he absolutely despises Ewing so there is a
Little bit of that going on in terms of Hoping Mutombo dominates.

Which doesn’t even make any sense because Ewing would have played his friends son as much as possible if Mutombo was any good.

[BeantownHoya]

[calhoya]

It should be possible to see potential in this kid like 2003 does without attributing it even a little to Ewing hate. Mutombo may not have panned out yet but let's not devalue him as a prospect coming out of high school. 247 Director of Scouting which had him as a 4* said this about Ryan in 2020:

Legit size with long arms and a sturdy frame. Has terrific hands & touch around the basket. Good feel as a passer out of the high post and on the block. Shot the ball from the mid-range area with confidence, and mechanics are fine. Impressive feel for the game and a high IQ. Good area rebounder and rim protector. Lacks lift, and just gets end-to-end OK. True low post player. Late bloomer with major upside. Son of Dikembe Mutombo.

He was recruited by high major programs. He did not develop into a quality player but then he is young and hardly played as a sophomore. Other players touted around here hardly played last year and of those who did play, many played too much. I don't think that any of us really know what the issue was with this team and player selection for PT last year. I will respect Cooley if he agrees with those who don't see Mutombo as a high major player and decides to sit him at the far end of the bench. But with respect to the SH** show of the past two years, I would hope everyone gets a clean slate under a new coach. I hope that no one is written off, particularly the 4 returnees who are showing some loyalty to the program, even with a coach they did not play for.

[bostonfan]

May 18, 2023 14:06:14 GMT -5 BeantownHoya said:

It certainly seems like reclassifying was at least discuss with Sorber at some point, but I think I would prefer for him to have that one more year to develop in high school. I would assume he is 17 or 18 years old at this point, and it is alot to ask for young kid like that to compete against 22-23 year old grown men. I am not saying he couldn't do it, but it is not often that reclassifying works out well.

If he is staying in the '24 class, then I would assume the staff must be working hard to attract another center. Probably a grad transfer who comes in for a year and can provide some stability and fits how Cooley likes to play. I hope they can close the deal on that player soon and we can see the team for next year start to come together.

[KHoyaNYC]

This is a total rebuild that will take 2 years to start to pay dividends. No one should expect much next year. Competitive games, maybe 5-8 big east wins would be a reasonable range.

[DallasHoya]

May 18, 2023 13:37:21 GMT -5 professorhoya said:

May 18, 2023 13:00:35 GMT -5 thedragon said:

I think some people are overselling. Lol.
Imo, he's not a high major player, and shouldn't be higher than 3rd string unless everything about his game from footwork to agility to instincts to offensive repertoire and beyond have improved. On a 2-18 team last year he was essentially 4th string behind a former player/manager. And from the leaked/rumored staff discussion with recruits this offseason - they would prefer not to even play him in a backup role.

In 2003s case, he absolutely despises Ewing so there is a
Little bit of that going on in terms of Hoping Mutombo dominates.

Which doesn’t even make any sense because Ewing would have played his friends son as much as possible if Mutombo was any good.

Don't even try to bring in the concept of sense when referring to Ewing's substitution patterns.

[hoyaboya]

May 18, 2023 11:37:43 GMT -5 MCIGuy said:

May 18, 2023 5:17:53 GMT -5 beenaround said:

Looks like a real good get. Let’s hope he sticks with us through signing day.

Wow. Seriously, dude?

Don't forget that Cooley lost Jayden Epps as a decommit from Providence once bigger fish came calling...if Sorber blows up, his NIL price will certainly go up as well. I think there are a lot of reasons to want to get him on campus ASAP.

[TC]

May 18, 2023 16:27:52 GMT -5 hoyaboya said:

May 18, 2023 11:37:43 GMT -5 MCIGuy said:

Wow. Seriously, dude?

Don't forget that Cooley lost Jayden Epps as a decommit from Providence once bigger fish came calling...if Sorber blows up, his NIL price will certainly go up as well. I think there are a lot of reasons to want to get him on campus ASAP.

^^

When you run out of actual stuff to complain about and start making up hypotheticals