Ed Cooley sounds off on Thomas Sorber not being named FOY: ‘Shame on the coaches’

NEW YORK — Incensed by what he believed to be an absence of “emotional discipline” and “physical discipline” during his team’s 71-67 loss to DePaul in the opening round of the Big East Tournament on Wednesday night, Georgetown head coach Ed Cooley’s frustration with a season gone awry was quickly distilled into what he perceived as a lack of respect from the remainder of the league’s coaches. Not for himself — seemingly every one of Cooley’s coaching colleagues lauds his chops for program building after what he accomplished at Providence from 2011-23. Instead, this was about a player who couldn’t even suit up for the Hoyas at Madison Square Garden.

Cooley transformed his postgame news conference into a defiant stump speech for injured center Thomas Sorber, who narrowly missed out on being named Freshman of the Year in the Big East, an honor that went instead to UConn’s Liam McNeeley (14.7 points, 6.2 rebounds per game). Both players were named the league’s Freshman of the Week seven times this season in what was clearly a two-horse race. Both players missed significant chunks of playing time due to injury, though Sorber’s foot problem proved season-ending in mid-February. But Cooley was adamant that Sorber, who underwent surgery last month, was among the most influential players in the country when healthy — regardless of age, position or team record.

“When you lose someone who, in my humble opinion, should have at the bare minimum been the Rookie of the Year, bare minimum should have been the Rookie of the Year in this league, [it’s difficult to overcome],” Cooley said. “His impact for us takes nothing away from McNeeley. Nothing at all. His impact, the fact that these coaches didn’t recognize that, I pray that that kid comes back [for his sophomore season]. I pray he comes back. He will be the Big East Player of the Year. He will be a first-team All-American. He will be a lottery pick. And we will be cutting nets down next year in this building at this time come Saturday [as Big East Tournament champions]. That’s exactly the way I feel.”

The 6-foot-10, 255-pound Sorber was a four-star prospect and the No. 43 overall player in the 2024 recruiting cycle, the kind of blue-chip talent that once populated Georgetown rosters of old. Sorber represented a massive recruiting win for Cooley when he became the sixth highest-rated recruit to sign with the Hoyas since 247Sports began tracking data 25 years ago, trailing only Greg Monroe (2008), Aminu Muhammad (2021), DaJuan Summers (2006), Vernon Macklin and Isaac Copeland (2014). He headlined a class that ranked 12th nationally and second in the Big East behind UConn but was the only Hoya signee among the top 50 prospects overall.

Sorber’s impact at Georgetown was felt immediately. He poured in 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in his first collegiate game against Lehigh and then bettered that performance three days later by scoring 25 points and snagging nine rebounds in a victory over Fairfield. He reached double figures in 18 of the 24 games he played before the Hoyas shut him down for the remainder of the season, including five outings with 20 points or more. Even with the injury, Sorber was still voted third-team All-Big East and named to the league’s All-Freshman Team after averaging 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2 blocks per game.

There’s little doubt that Sorber would be among the conference’s best players should he choose to return for his sophomore season, especially if this year’s winner — shooting guard RJ Luis Jr. from St. John’s — declares for the NBA Draft. But Sorber himself will face the same decision about whether to remain in school or turn professional, with nearly every mock draft projecting him as a potential first-round pick given both his size and the breadth of his skill set at just 19 years old. He won’t turn 20 until December.

Cooley just wishes his coaching colleagues saw Sorber the same way.

“Really disappointed that the right thing wasn’t done for a kid who more than earned it,” Cooley said. “If a kid is the Big East Rookie of the Week seven times and the other kid is the Big East Rookie of the Week seven times, and they played about the same amount of games, and one person had just as much production, if not more, but had a major impact not [just] in the Big East but nationally — nationally — and he’s not recognized like that [it’s very frustrating]. Shame on our coaches for not recognizing that. Seriously, shame on the coaches because that kid more than earned it, more than deserved it.

“Again, I’m praying my big boy comes back, because if he does, this room will look blue and gray.”

At which point Cooley pounded his fist on the table, climbed to his feet and exited the media room.

Michael Cohen covers college football and college basketball for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter @Michael_Cohen13.

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