Skip to main content

On Wednesday evening, Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.) guard VJ Edgecombe named the Duke basketball program a finalist in his recruitment, along with fellow recruiting juggernaut Kentucky and 2021 national champion Baylor. All three hosted him for an official visit in October.

And each seems to have a legitimate chance to prevail in the high-profile race.

But there's reason to think the 6-foot-5, 180-pound electrifying five-star talent, No. 5 overall on the 247Sports 2024 Composite, might already have a winner in mind. After all, last week, he said he's "leaning one way."

So when will VJ Edgecombe announce his decision?

"My timeframe is this season," he told 247Sports' Travis Branham after revealing his final three. "That's what I tell everybody. I will just commit when I am comfortable. I just want to take my time with everything, talk everything over with my family and everyone that is supporting me, my team.

"Whenever I feel like it is the right time for me to commit, I will commit."

His squad's regular season ends in early March.

So, with all of the above in mind, it sounds like he could end his recruitment as soon as this week or as late as a couple of months from now.

However, consider that no new predictions have appeared on 247Sports, Rivals, or On3 since the first week of November when three Crystal Ball picks pointed to Duke as the favorite. The absence of recent forecasts suggests no insiders are confident as to where he'll end up.

Meanwhile, Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer enjoys what could become his second top-ranked recruiting class across his three cycles calling all the shots in Durham. The Blue Devils' 2024 haul consists of four five-stars, including the No. 1 recruit in forward Cooper Flagg, plus one four-star in sharpshooter Darren Harris.

Outside of the VJ Edgecombe sweepstakes on the 2024 trail, the Duke staff is still in pursuit of center Khaman Maluach, a recently reclassified big man from South Sudan who attends NBA Academy Africa.

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI.com for more Duke basketball recruiting news.