V. J. Edgecombe

Valdez "V. J." Edgecombe Jr. (born July 30, 2005) is a Bahamian college basketball player for the Baylor Bears of the Big 12 Conference. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2024 class.

Early life and high school
Edgecombe was born and spent his childhood in Bimini, the Bahamas. He immigrated to the United States when he was in ninth grade, originally settling in Florida. Edgecombe attended Victory International Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida for two years before transferring to Long Island Lutheran Middle and High School in Brookville, New York as a boarding student. He averaged 15.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.2 steals per game during his junior season as the Crusaders won the state championship. Edgecombe was named the New York Gatorade Player of the Year and the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC) Player of the Year at the end of the season. As a senior, Edgecombe averaged 17.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.3 steals per game to lead the Crusaders to a 21-5 record. He was selected to play in the 2024 McDonald's All-American Boys Game during his senior year.

Recruiting
Edgecombe is a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2024 class, according to major recruiting services. He was originally rated 153rd in the composite ranking of 247Sports, but moved up to the top five following his performance in the Adidas 3SSB travel circuit as a junior. Edgecombe committed to play college basketball at Baylor after considering offers from Duke and Kentucky.

National team career
Edgecombe was named to the Bahamas national team for the 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Valencia.