The Maccabi Tel Aviv big man does it all. From scoring, dunking, blocking, and rebounding, the Minsk, Belarus-born Sorkin has continued to carve out a rise to the top.
The Maccabi Tel Aviv big man does it all. From scoring, dunking, blocking, and rebounding, the Minsk, Belarus-born Sorkin has continued to carve out a rise to the top.
It’s clear that Roman Sorkin has become the next Israeli Euroleague superstar.
The Maccabi Tel Aviv big man does it all. From scoring, dunking, blocking, and rebounding, the Minsk, Belarus-born Sorkin has continued to carve out a rise to the top.
The 29-year-old has developed into a bona fide superstar who can play at the highest level, drawing interest from NBA clubs, as the one-time Oregon Duck center who barely saw the floor in college has become one of the local greats.
In Maccabi Tel Aviv’s first Euroleague game back in Israel since the start of the October 7, 2023 war, Sorkin proved to be unstoppable in scoring 26 points to match Yotam Halperin’s record for a Sabra in the continent’s top competition.
Sorkin, who played for Maccabi Haifa beginning in the 2017/18 season after finishing his time at Oregon, moved to the yellow-and-blue for the 2021/22 campaign and has slowly but surely turned into a dominant force and one that head coach Oded Katash has not rushed along prematurely.
Doubling his output two seasons after his debut
In his debut Euroleague campaign, Sorkin averaged only 8.3 minutes per game, but then doubled that output in the following two seasons. This year, he’s putting in 22 minutes per game and scoring 14 points in those contests while loving every second of it.
Despite his age, Katash believes that Sorkin is still developing and has even better days ahead.
“Usually, when talking about a player Roman’s age, even though he’s not old of course, you’re talking about a player who is foundational and I still think Roman has potential. I’ve coached many players throughout my career. I wouldn’t say the same things about all players at this stage of their careers. His ability to be more consistent and demand more of himself and continue to develop, that’s something he does. I’m very proud of him. As you know, I really admire him and it’s a great privilege for me to believe in him. I hope and wish that he will break many more records.”
Sorkin’s teammates revere him and only have the finest things to say about the center, including Tamir Blatt, who has been at Sorkin’s side for many years since their days with Israel’s youth national teams, as the guard was in awe of Sorkin’s points record.
“That’s something else,” Blatt said. “I mean, he’s unique, you know. I’ve known Roman since we were 16 and to see the way he elevates his game every year and the level he’s playing is unbelievable. I’m just happy he’s my teammate.”
One of Sorkin’s front-court teammates, Marcio Santos, also spoke about what he sees the Israeli can bring to the table.
“He brings experience and he knows how to play. He’s been playing in this league for years and he has been able to really help me by giving me tips, how to do this and how to do that. We’re learning how to play together as is the entire team. I think it’s a great thing for him to match the record. Everybody knows Roman is a great player, he’s a great guy off the court and of course on the court, he works hard and all of that is going to pay off.”
When Sorkin found out that he had matched Halperin’s mark, he actually didn’t want to even believe it and credited his teammates.
“Doron Jamchi has that, it’s a 40, no? Oh in the Euroleague, wow, I didn’t know, it’s a great honor, it’s an honor to be with Yotam, he’s an amazing player. Thank you to everyone on the team for everything they’ve done for me, thank you, I don’t play one on one, so thank you all here and I hope I can break this record as well.”
The game, which marked the first time Maccabi played in the Euroleague at its real home in Tel Aviv since October 5, 2023, when it beat Partizan, was an emotional one that Sorkin will not forget.
“It’s amazing; we’re so happy to be back home, playing with our fans here back home is incredible. We’re really excited being home, playing in front of our crowd. We want to say thank you to everybody who let this happen once again and thank you to Belgrade for hosting us for so long, it’s something unbelievable.
"We just want to keep playing home. It’s so much fun to play at home and it’s so tough to beat us at home. Something about this arena, Yad Eliyahu, is that you’re just stepping into the energy and you can just feel it. I missed it and now it’s just going to get better and better.”
Blatt also shared his thoughts about having the games return to Israel.
“It was amazing. I mean, after two and a half years, going through so much, you know, as a team, also the country and now to be able to play with our fans, which, you know, they’re like our sixth man. We really needed it and the energy was amazing. It was just a big thrill. I really enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to many more.”
Katash, too, shared his thoughts on the return of the Euroleague games to Israel and how emotional a moment it was to finally experience it again.
“This wasn’t about basketball, it was above and beyond the game. It was really special for us. We were so emotional. I’m sure that each one of the players, staff, coaching staff and everyone around the club, it was really special for all of us. To experience that crazy and great atmosphere, playing in front of our fans finally a Euroleague game. That’s the most important thing and that’s why I feel like it’s really special.”
See more Israeli sports coverage at www.sportsrabbi.com/en
Category: General Sports
