By Jackson Posey | Sports Writer

VJ Edgecombe is the No. 1 recruit in Baylor history.

That sort of prestige comes with expectations, expectations Edgecombe is more than prepared to live up to. After signing with Baylor in April, Edgecombe dominated for The Bahamas in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, averaging 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and two steals in four games on 57.1/38.5/81.3 shooting splits. He’s ready.

His athleticism has more nuance than “run-jump-dunk” — he has great body control and lateral quickness, and his stop-start accelerating is fantastic for a player with his build — but he didn’t get much opportunity to show that in high school. He never needed to. Even teams flush with blue-chip recruits and future high-major players weren’t able to slow him down one iota.

The one thing slowing down his interior scoring game is an over-reliance on his dominant hand. Edgecombe prefers finishing and dribbling with his right, sometimes at the expense of easier finishes or driving lanes. On the left wing, he almost always prefers to drive towards the paint than attack then baseline, a tendency which could be exploited more often by veteran Big 12 defenses.

“In high school, if you could force Edgecombe toward his left, it was a serious issue,” The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie wrote in his latest NBA mock draft. “His handle was drastically looser, as was his ability to control the ball through any sort of contact. He also struggled finishing around the basket with his left hand. … He gets better and better every time scouts see him. But without the left hand, it’s hard to see Edgecombe challenging in any way for that top slot [in the draft].”

The jump shot will likely be the swing skill between secondary stardom and the Freshman All-American team. It’s consistent and repeatable, with a high release point and a bit by an early hitch in his shooting motion. But as long as he keeps making difficult shots, he’ll be just fine.

Edgecombe’s exceptional horizontal and vertical explosiveness leaps off the screen. But the most exciting part of his game is his defense. He’s an active, physical defender who doesn’t idle his motor off the ball. It’s a rare recruiting class that features two elite freshmen defenders, but Edgecombe and Cooper Flagg legitimately fit the bill.

Edgecombe’s game builds on itself, maximizing his athleticism by turning offense to defense. He’s the Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year, a ready-made contributor to a championship-caliber team who will form a ferocious perimeter defense duo with returning starter Jayden Nunn. Edgecombe and Robert O. Wright III are the best pair of freshmen west of the Mississippi River, and they’ll both play key roles as the Bears look to make another run in the NCAA Tournament.

Jackson Posey is a junior Journalism and Religion double-major from San Antonio, Texas. He's an armchair theologian and smoothie enthusiast with a secret dream of becoming a monk. After graduating, he hopes to pursue a career in Christian ministry, preaching the good news of Jesus by exploring the beautiful intricacies of Scripture.

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