{"id":9880,"date":"2025-06-24T05:04:08","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T05:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/9880\/"},"modified":"2025-06-24T05:04:08","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T05:04:08","slug":"who-is-vj-edgecombe-5-things-to-know-about-the-baylor-star-ahead-of-2025-nba-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/9880\/","title":{"rendered":"Who is VJ Edgecombe? 5 things to know about the Baylor star ahead of 2025 NBA draft"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">While most of the buzz has revolved around<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/topic\/cooper-flagg\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/topic\/cooper-flagg\/\"> Duke\u2019s Cooper Flagg<\/a>, this NBA draft class features plenty of playmakers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Among the young players to watch: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/sports\/baylor-bears\/2025\/06\/22\/baylors-vj-edgecombe-among-bevy-of-touted-one-and-done-guards-in-nba-draft\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/sports\/baylor-bears\/2025\/06\/22\/baylors-vj-edgecombe-among-bevy-of-touted-one-and-done-guards-in-nba-draft\/\">Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe.<\/a> The 19-year-old guard spent just one season in Waco, but has the potential to develop into a star at the next level.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Here are five things to know about Edgecombe ahead of the draft:<\/p>\n<p>1. The basics<\/p>\n<p>Sports Roundup<\/p>\n<p class=\"dmnc_features-cta-social-cta-social-module__zWZy- mb-4\">Get the latest D-FW sports news, analysis and opinion delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, Kevin Sherrington&#8217;s A La Carte.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\"><b>Name:<\/b> Valdez \u201cVJ\u201d Edgecombe Jr.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\"><b>College:<\/b> Baylor<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\"><b>Height:<\/b> 6-5 <b>Weight:<\/b> 180 pounds<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\"><b>Position:<\/b> Guard<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\"><b>Hometown:<\/b> Bimini, Bahamas<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\"><b>High school:<\/b> Long Island Lutheran (Long Island, New York)<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\"><b>Birthday:<\/b> July 30, 2005 (19 years old)<\/p>\n<p>2. One-and-done at Baylor<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Just a year ago, Edgecombe was lauded as one of Scott Drew\u2019s top recruits at Baylor. He wasted no time making an impact, making his way into the starting lineup when the Bears opened the 2024-25 season against Gonzaga.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Edgecombe finished his lone season at Baylor as the team\u2019s second-leading scorer with 15 points per game. He also averaged 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals. He helped Baylor reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/sports\/baylor-bears\/2025\/03\/23\/baylor-overwhelmed-by-no-1-seed-duke-cooper-flagg-as-bears-miss-out-on-sweet-16-again\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/sports\/baylor-bears\/2025\/03\/23\/baylor-overwhelmed-by-no-1-seed-duke-cooper-flagg-as-bears-miss-out-on-sweet-16-again\/\">where it fell to No. 1-seeded Duke.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>3. Has already represented his country on a big stage<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Before he suited up at Baylor, Edgecombe tested his skills on an international stage. The young guard represented his country, the Bahamas, as it looked to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">The Bahamas seemed poised to reach the Olympics after securing three consecutive victories in the qualifying tournament. The dream ended in a final matchup with Spain, where the Bahamas fell 86-78.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Edgecombe, then an 18-year-old guard, posted some impressive numbers in the summer. He was third on the team in scoring with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fiba.basketball\/en\/events\/fiba-olympic-qualifying-tournament-2024-valencia-spain\/teams\/bahamas\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.fiba.basketball\/en\/events\/fiba-olympic-qualifying-tournament-2024-valencia-spain\/teams\/bahamas\">16.5 points, adding 5.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists to his tally.<\/a> He teamed up with NBA players like DeAndre Ayton, Buddy Hield and Eric Gordon on the Bahamian national team.<\/p>\n<p>4. He held offers from various Division I powerhouses<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Edgecombe was one of the top high school basketball players in the class of 2024. <a href=\"https:\/\/247sports.com\/season\/2024-basketball\/compositerecruitrankings\/?InstitutionGroup=HighSchool\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/247sports.com\/season\/2024-basketball\/compositerecruitrankings\/?InstitutionGroup=HighSchool\">According to 247Sports<\/a>, he was a five-star recruit and ranked as the fourth-best player in his class.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">The only names above Edgecombe on 247Sports\u2019 rankings? Flagg, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper. Each of those players will likely hear their names called early in the 2025 draft.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Edgecombe had <a href=\"https:\/\/247sports.com\/recruitment\/vj-edgecombe-159698\/recruitinterests\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/247sports.com\/recruitment\/vj-edgecombe-159698\/recruitinterests\/\">a long list of Division I offers.<\/a> Powerhouses that reached out to him include Duke, Kentucky, Florida, Alabama and St. John\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>5. What are draft experts saying about Edgecombe\u2019s landing spot?<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">According to various NBA draft experts, Edgecombe won\u2019t have to wait too long to hear his name called.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">As of Monday night, <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/nba\/article\/nba-mock-draft-50-its-draft-week-heres-how-every-pick-in-the-first-round-could-go-based-on-the-latest-intel-210500038.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/nba\/article\/nba-mock-draft-50-its-draft-week-heres-how-every-pick-in-the-first-round-could-go-based-on-the-latest-intel-210500038.html\">Yahoo Sports\u2019 Kevin O\u2019Connor<\/a> predicted Edgecombe would be selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the third overall pick. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/45559441\/2025-nba-mock-draft-latest-first-second-round-predictions-all-59-picks\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/45559441\/2025-nba-mock-draft-latest-first-second-round-predictions-all-59-picks\">ESPN\u2019s latest mock draft<\/a> also had Edgecombe going third to Philadelphia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Meanwhile, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbssports.com\/nba\/news\/2025-nba-mock-draft-tre-johnson-moves-up-ace-bailey-plummets-in-latest-projections\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.cbssports.com\/nba\/news\/2025-nba-mock-draft-tre-johnson-moves-up-ace-bailey-plummets-in-latest-projections\/\">CBS Sports\u2019 Adam Finkelstein<\/a> had Edgecombe going fourth to the Charlotte Hornets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/sports\/baylor-bears\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Find more Baylor coverage from <\/b><b>The Dallas Morning News<\/b><b> here<\/b><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While most of the buzz has revolved around Duke\u2019s Cooper Flagg, this NBA draft class features plenty of&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":9881,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[1339,3917,10857,3139,2629,1317,1337,1338,62,10928,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-9880","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-basketball","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-baylor-bears","10":"tag-colleges","11":"tag-dallas-mavericks","12":"tag-nba-draft","13":"tag-ncaa","14":"tag-ncaa-basketball","15":"tag-ncaabasketball","16":"tag-sports","17":"tag-things-to-know","18":"tag-united-states","19":"tag-unitedstates","20":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9880"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9880\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}