VJ Edgecombe Dazzles as Baylor Delivers Blowout

A projected top-five in the 2025 NBA Draft, freshman VJ Edgecombe was all cylinders go Sunday night.

Nov 17, 2024; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears guard VJ Edgecombe (7) dunks the ball against Tarleton Texans forward Ronnie Harrison Jr. (3) during the second half at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images / Chris Jones-Imagn Images

For now, it’s not yet known what role Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe will fill in the NBA.

At 6-foot-5, he’s a bit undersized to play full-time forward. And his handle has yet to look necessarily guard-esque at the collegiate level. Perhaps most importantly, his shooting has yet to present itself worthy of an off-ball role in the backcourt; he’s shot just 2-for-13 from beyond the arc so far with the Bears.

All that is certain, is that if he continues to produce at the college level as he did on Sunday night, he’ll certainly be a pro.

In a colossal 104-41 beatdown of Tarleton State, Edgecombe poured on 17 points on 4-for-9 shooting, adding a needed five rebounds, four steals, three blocks and two assists, all in just 24 minutes.

The five-star freshman’s athleticism was in the spotlight. He sprinted in transition, soared towards towards the ring and hounded on the defensive end of the court. The Texans weren’t able to stop Edgecombe naturally, instead sending him to the line plenty, where he hit eight of his 11 attempted free throws: a great sign given his archetype.

His 25% 3-point shooting, and 2-to-4 assist-to-turnover ratio, were the only blemishes on an otherwise stellar night.

On the season, Edgecombe is now seeing an interesting output of 9.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks for a tweeter guard-forward. The efficiency stands to jump, but the pure production does speak for itself.

Of course, Edgecombe will have to keep it up against soon-to-be Big 12 competition, something that will undoubtedly be a tough challenge. But he’s already played a tougher non-conference schedule than most, kicking the season off with No. 6 Gonzaga and No. 16 Arkansas.

The Bears next take on No. 22-ranked St. Johns on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 6 p.m. CT

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