Thomas Sorber Kicks Off His Georgetown Career in Style

That Sorber looks to be this good, this soon, is a very promising development for Georgetown.

Counting on a freshman to be a key contributor right out of the gate as a college coach can be a risky proposition for most.

But Ed Cooley’s gamble in starting a freshman at center like he did with Thomas Sorber is looking pretty good after last night’s impressive showing by the Trenton, New Jersey native, who finished with 20 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 3 steals in 29 minutes.

Sorber, who is regarded as arguably the headlining name in Georgetown’s impressive freshman class this year, got the starting nod after an impressive preseason that saw him build on his stellar reputation coming out of high school.

Ed Cooley has not been shy about praising Sorber publicly too. During an interview during Big East Media Day, Cooley had this to say about Sorber:

“One of the biggest surprises [of the preseason] has been Thomas Sorber, a freshman. Yeah, yeah…yeah. He’s one. He will be a national name soon.”

Cooley looks to be spot on with that prediction, as several national writers were already lining up after last night’s victory against Lehigh to talk about Sorber’s performance, including Jeff Borzello from ESPN, Jamie Shaw with On3.com, and Jon Rothstein from CBS Sports.

Sorber took a little time in the first half to get his feet under him in his first collegiate action, but looked to get more comfortable later in the first half, finishing the opening stanza with 6 points and 4 rebounds while splitting time at the center position with fellow freshman big man Julius Halaifonua (5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist).

The second half was where Sorber took over and became one of the go-to options for Georgetown, along with fellow newcomer Micah Peavy, who had 18 points in the first half and 20 for the game.

When asked about Sorber’s performance after the game, Cooley said, “I'm not surprised by that at all. I see it every day. I think people see Thomas's athletic ability and skillset, his toughness. He's one of the nicest young men I've ever coached, and I think the best is yet to come for him.

“I'm kind of upset at him because I thought late in the game he missed 3 layups that he normally makes, but I think that's a bit of fatigue. The best athletes are the best conditioned athletes, so it goes to tell him he's got to get his ass in shape.

“He has a chance to be one of the special young players in the country, but I'm going to challenge him to get in tip-top shape. If he does that, and I told everybody from Day One, this kid is definitely going to be somebody to be reckoned with.”

After a 2023-24 season that saw Georgetown struggle to get consistent production at the center position, the performance of Sorber, along with Halaifonua— who showed some flashes in the first half but took a back seat in the second half (2 minutes) to Sorber (15 minutes)— bodes well for Cooley and his offensive system, which historically has featured a skilled big man operating in the post, in Year Two.

Defensively, Sorber should help provide the rim protection that was sorely missing for the Hoyas last season.

Against Lehigh, Georgetown has a block percentage of 22.2% last night, which is ranked 21st in the country after one game, according to CBBAnalytics.com.

It’s just one game, but Sorber did everything you could have hoped for in a freshman’s collegiate debut— and more.