WACO – VJ Edgecombe exploded onto the scene last summer while playing for the Bahamas national team in the Olympic qualifying tournament in July. The Bahamas failed to make the Olympics, but in two games Edgecombe outperformed his teammates and current NBA players Buddy Hield, Eric Gordon and DeAndre Ayton. He was flying through the air for impressive dunks in transition, hitting corner threes and getting steals against players sometimes twice his age. It was quite the breakout performance.
Now a 6-foot-5 freshman guard at Baylor, Edgecombe’s star has continued to rise, but he has had his share of challenges along the way. The Bears started the season against then-No. 6 Gonzaga and it was a harsh wake-up call for Edgecombe and the entire team. The Zags pummeled Baylor, 101-63. Edgecombe finished with four points, seven rebounds and three turnovers in his first collegiate game.
“That first game was rough, I’m not going to lie,” Edgecombe told Hoops HQ. “But just being able to face adversity head on and just staying connected with my teammates and being able to fight through everything, that’s how you grow as a player and as a team. We’re going to keep doing that.”
Edgecombe may not have stormed out of the gate like fellow freshman phenoms Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper did, but NBA scouts and executives continue to believe he has great promise as a pro. “We put a lot of unfair expectations on players, especially the freshmen,” one scout told Hoops HQ. “Everything that’s thrown at them from day one and they’re learning so much on the fly, they’re going to be overwhelmed in the beginning. There’s going to be a learning curve here and there’s going to be another learning curve at the NBA level so they’re probably going to go through the same thing next year.”
It wasn’t until Big 12 conference play that Edgecombe started to take over games and figure things out. In the month of January he averaged 18.5 points, 3.4 assists and shot 43 percent from three-point range. One of his biggest areas of development coming into the season was his long-range jumper and shot selection. In the last five games, Edgecombe has looked like a seasoned scorer from all three levels. In back-to-back games against Utah and BYU, he was a combined 10 for 14 from behind the arc.
“My confidence is high right now,” Edgecombe said after the BYU game. “Early on in the season, I wasn’t as aggressive as I am now so that’s been the main thing. I just want to showcase that I can do everything on the floor and be a team player as well. I’m just trying to be a leader, even as a freshman, and stay disciplined through it all.”
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Edgecombe chose Baylor over Duke and Kentucky. In way-too-early mock drafts last fall, he was ranked inside the top five picks. Though to some eyes it may have seemed Edgecombe took time to adjust, that was largely because his coach, Scott Drew, gave him so many responsibilities. “Because of the COVID year, these freshmen are going up against some guys that are 24, not 22, and that’s an adjustment,” Drew said. “He’s playing four positions for us. What freshman knows four positions? He does a lot that people don’t realize. Because of his quickness and how much he talks, he really helps us on the offensive side of the ball and defensively, he’s one of the best perimeter defenders with his length and how well he can anticipate passes and drives.”
Edgecombe’s responsibilities have only grown as Baylor has suffered through injuries. Fifth-year senior point guard Jeremy Roach, a transfer from Duke, has been out for two weeks with a concussion and Langston Love sustained an ankle injury against Utah and hasn’t played in the last two games. The Bears are 14-7 and 6-4 in the Big 12, which puts them in seventh place. Baylor just had a huge win over No. 11 Kansas and were led by freshman point guard Rob Wright III, who finished with 24 points and six assists. Edgecombe added 14 points, five rebounds and two steals in the win.
“I love playing with Rob and all our guards,” Edgecombe said. “If I’m playing on or off the ball, I know I have shooters around me that can knock it down when I get downhill. All of my teammates can shoot the ball and I have confidence in every single one of them.”
Through the roller coaster of the season, Edgecombe appears to be settling in just at the right time. He’s one of the best defenders in this draft class and now that his three-point jumper is starting to fall, he’s re-entered the conversation as a top five pick.
“It’s really impressive that he’s kind of turned things around throughout the course of the season,” another NBA scout told Hoops HQ. “He’s really figured it out. At the beginning of the year it was a little choppy but watching the progress he’s made, especially the shooting piece, has been impressive. He impacts the game in so many different ways and he’s really starting to become that elite two-way player.”
Baylor still has work to do to get to the NCAA Tournament, but if Edgecombe continues to produce at this level, the future for this team is bright. “VJ is a winner,” Drew said. “Some players, their best skill or attribute is dunking or others it’s scoring. With VJ, it’s winning. That’s why I love coaching him.”