Under the hot, relentless Bimini sun, 8-year-old VJ Edgecombe grew his love for the game. Sitting in our studio at SLAM HQ, the nation’s No. 4 ranked player reminisces about those backyard pick-up games with a smile that sparkles just like her diamond earrings.
“I was just out there having fun, I didn’t really care about the talent. We just wanted to play for fun,” says Edgecombe.
But talent is something the now 18-year-old has always had. It was only a matter of time before those outside the islands knew his name. After going toe-to-toe with juniors and seniors at Buddy Hield’s basketball camp in the Bahamas at the age of 13, VJ decided to use his strengths and potential to travel to the US to pursue his dual dreams of making it to the NBA and supporting. his family.
The transition was smooth, Edgecombe says, but the reality of spending your teenage years in a completely new country hasn’t been without its challenges. “I know everything is good,” he says, “so I can sacrifice that for sure.”
Before his freshman year, VJ traveled to Florida, where he was initially unable to rotate due to the pandemic. His sophomore campaign was spent on the local AAU circuit with the South Florida Kings before he caught the attention of the Southeast Elite squad on the adidas 3SSB circuit.
“I was playing with a sprained wrist so I couldn’t shoot or anything. (I was) just on the court playing defense, going to the rim and making plays,” said V.J. “I walked away from those last two sessions with no offers. I was just spinning. I was just having fun, that’s all that mattered to me.”
Despite not being able to break down the defense with rising jumpers and three-pointers, Edgecombe’s dominance quickly caught on at the grassroots level. Chasing blocks and support plugs on the backboard were a constant feature, along with the prominent tomahawk.
Instilled with lessons of determination and from his childhood in the Bahamas, V.J. the following season brought unrelenting hunger to Long Island (NY) Lutheran. At a young age, it exploded with the tremendous power of a supernova.
“I came to America to play basketball knowing I had to feed my family and all that. It definitely helped me and the person I am now. Just work harder than everybody else,” says Edgecombe. “I don’t want to be in that (percentage) that can’t get out. I want to be part of that succeeds and sets the standard and sets the path for all the young kids behind me.”
In his first year playing in the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC), a new league for elite prep teams, Edgecombe was named the Gatorade New York State Player of the Year while also securing the League Player of the Year and scoring. headlines by pouring in 17.3 ppg. The offers started pouring in. Edgecombe announced his collegiate decision in mid-January, becoming Baylor’s highest commit in a decade.
Edgecombe has established himself as one of the most physically imposing players in his class. Athleticism is simply unfair. And that J is smoother than the threads of his LuHi uniform. Trust us we’ve got you covered as the Bimini native is fully locked into the next chapter of his journey.
“I feel like it’s going to tear me apart, to be honest,” VJ says of his defense. “You have a bunch of prolific goalscorers in the country. I will be honest. everyone can score. I just need to do something that will set me apart from everyone else. I’m not trying to be the same, I’m trying to be different.”
Portraits of Eric Sasso.
