VJ Edgecombe Shows Versatility in Baylor's Win Over Sam Houston

The highly touted prospect had a near triple-double in the victory.

Nov 12, 2024; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears guard VJ Edgecombe (7) dunks the ball ahead of Sam Houston State Bearkats guard Marcus Boykin (5) during the second half at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images / Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Freshman sensation VJ Edgecombe had a fantastic performance against Sam Houston State on November 12, scoring 13 points and recording 10 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. The former five-star recruit from Long Island Lutheran has demonstrated his ability to attack the rim throughout the game, showing off an elite handle and a quick first step that has him in top-five talks in the 2025 NBA Draft.

A highly efficient scorer, Edgecombe went 6-of-9 from the field and 1-of-3 from deep in the victory, but what really stood out was his ability on the glass at 6-foot-4; he recorded 10 boards, five of which were on the offensive end. His athleticism was on full display as he scored on a put-back dunk off of a miss by Jale Celestine on a three-point attempt. In another sequence, he hit a cut and finished on an alley-oop off of a lob from beyond the arc.

He finished second on the team in assists as well as he continued to find Norchad Omier in the post for easy buckets. Omier went 8-of-11 from the field, many of which were on feeds from the freshman star. Off the dribble, Edgecombe used screens to his advantage and created separation easily for drives to the hoop. He defended well also, recording three steals and a block on that end of the floor.

His skillset as an off-guard makes him one of the more intriguing prospects in this class – his explosion off the bounce creates mismatches with nearly any opposing defender, and a knack for finishing through contact using elite body control gives him even more of an advantage when making his move towards the basket. His high-energy style on both ends of the floor will translate to the NBA, even his his size causes limitations on defense.

He will get his opportunities to show off against other NBA-level talents going forward in what is a stacked Big 12 Conference with teams like Kansas, BYU, Iowa State, Houston, Arizona, and Texas Tech. If the young guard can continue to show off his versatility, a top-five selection is very realistic.

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