By TENAJH SWEETING

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE Bears Nation will have to make room for Bimini native Valdez “VJ” Edgecombe who committed to Baylor University last night.

The top five prospect narrowed down his long list of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division One recruiters to three teams which included Duke and Kentucky but ultimately Baylor impressed the senior the most.

The 6-foot-5 guard, who currently attends Long Island Lutheran High School, made his announcement during the Hoophall Classic which was broadcasted on ESPN.

After visiting the final three top basketball schools, Edgecombe’s highly-anticipated decision came down to basketball culture. “Baylor has a winning culture, a great staff and head coach. Coach Drew is a genuine person. He has built an incredible programme.” he told ESPN reporters.

“There was a deep connection with Baylor. They have a strong foundation of faith, and there was also a spiritual connection. That was important to me,” he continued.

With the latest commitment from the Bimini native, Baylor’s 2024 recruiting class skyrocketed from no.24 overall into the top 10.

Edgecombe along with five-star prospect Jason Asemota and four-star point guard Robert Wright III all favoured the Bears Nation, making a Big 12 title push a possibility for the men’s basketball programme in the near future.

The 2023 Tribune Junior Male Athlete of the Year turned in a dominant performance at the second edition of the Hoopfest in Paradise High School Tournament last December.

In his homecoming, the high school phenom helped the Crusaders to leave the tourney with a 2-0 unblemished record.

The Crusaders first collected a 81-68 win against the Mater Dei Catholic High School after the top prospect dropped a game-high 30 points.

The team then defeated the Riviera Preparatory School 83-50.

Egdecombe had 25 points in the win and averaged 27.5 points in the competition.

The 18-year old was named the 2022-23 Player of the Year for the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC).

During this period, his team boasted a stellar 10-2 win/loss record while he turned in a team-high 17.3 points per game, 5.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.1 steals.

He was also impeccable at the Sportradar Showdown in Las Vegas last summer where he averaged 21.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Earlier in January, the athletic guard almost put together a triple double with his 21 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists performance against La Lumiere (Indiana) which resulted in a win.

The future is bright, not only for Baylor University who reeled in their fourth straight five-star prospect, but also for the Bimini native, the programme’s highest ranked commitment since Isaiah Austin from the 2012 class. The top high school senior will join his NCAA Divison one team in the fall.