2024 Recruiting: VJ Edgecombe receives offer from UConn

[Cardiac]

 

[husky429]

Ross's teammate. Another offer making me think we might be on the outs with Howard.

#16 composite in his class. I have notes from an old game I'll post soon, but I recall the announcers saying that he shot 45% from three during his HS season. SIGN ME UP.

 

[HooperScooper]

Rated #20 on 247Sports (#16 composite).

 

[fatlucy]

Yes, please!

 

[HooperScooper]

I guess Hurley was impressed this week also.

7. Four-star SG VJ Edgecombe​

VJ Edgecombe came out of the gates hot, going for 21 and 19 points in his first two games. You like the efficiency with which he plays. He does not do things he cannot do and limits his dribbles to make a play.

Edgecombe is an explosive guard. At 6-foot-4 with long arms, he is capable of living in the paint in the half-court. He was injured during his third game, only finishing with five points in that one, but he was able to show different facets of this game in the first two games. In both of them, he was comfortable on the ball, acting as a secondary ball-handler. Edgecombe his first game, he worked as a jump shooter, getting to his spots in the mid-range off two dribbles and knocking them down. In the second game, everything was at the rim, putting pressure on the paint.

Edgecombe is the No. 13 player in the 2024 On3 150. He averaged 15.0 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 51.6 percent from the field in his three games.

NBPA Top 100 Camp: Overall Top Performers

On3's Jamie Shaw discusses and breaks down the top overall performers from the 2023 NBPA Top 100 Camp in Orlando, Florida.

www.on3.com

 

[Storrs South]

Big fan of his game. Was impressed earlier in year while watching Ross play. Between Ross, Edgecome, and Jayden Reid, thought all 3 were really good on LuHi.

 

[Huskyforlife]

sounds like Jayden might know something.

 

[husky429]

VJ Edgecombe/LUHI vs. AZ Compass Prep

On Ross: I am sticking by my assessment that Ross is going to play above his ranking. Went bananas this game. Loved defensive energy. He has unlimited hustle. Works hard on defense and scraps for boards. Good length. Being a lightweight effects defense. Moving off the ball well. Low-usage guy, but just gets the job done. Ended up with 26 points on 9/11 shooting (2/4 from deep). Yeesh. My favorite play … or maybe this one or maybe this one to force the TO.

13 PTS
5 REB (1 offensive)
1 AST (1 potential / 3 foul)

2 TO
3 STL
2 BLK

3/7 2FG
1/4 3FG
4/6 FT

Overall: Just based on this game, he is up there with Howard for my favorite SF this class. A little bit better with the ball in our hands than our other targets, but shorter. Apparently shoots 43% from deep in NIBC and was leading scorer in the conference. Should be something like 6’5 or 6’6. Great athlete, coached well, and has some nice defensive instincts. Very good defender when locked in, but seemed to lose some spark in the 3rd quarter onward. Solid straight-line driver with both hands. Limited as a passer but had a few nice reads.

In-game thoughts:

• This is VERY high level basketball team. Tons of talent and well-coached. These teams would beat a whole lotta D1 teams.
• Apparently he shot 43% from deep in NIBC games this year. Good grief, sign me up.
• Announcers said he was the leading scorer in the NIBC this year (the conference with Luhi, Montverde, Link, etc… best teams in the country)
• I see him listed anywhere from 6’4-6’7 and about 180lbs-210lbs. Looks more like 6’5 to me (noticably shorter than Jayden Ross). Probably would be listed in college at 6’6. Announcers keep saying he’s 6’7 and 210 but I don’t see that right now… doesn’t look that big or tall to me?
• Great athlete. GREAT and puts it to use too. Plays a little stuff in the hips and upper body.
• Seems to be able to able to drive a bit with each hand… definitely more of a straight line 2-3 dribbles driver, not a lead/secondary ballhandler. But serviceable. Definitely can go both directions comfortably 1v1
• Solid looking stroke.
• Finishes with both hands.
• Finishing bag fairly limited with his right, but better with his left? Not sure.
• Well-coached on defense. I love Luhi for that.
• Had some nice anticipation and help on defense. Seems to read plays well.
• Similar to Abraham/Howard/Betsey that he seems to be a low-usage player. Doesn’t demand many touches.
• Phenomenal at ball pressure when locked in. Super quick feet and hands. Gets his hands in a ton of different plays. Deflections, steals, blocks… love it.
• Drives and makes plays from the FT line. Like that.
• Good frame to get stronger IMO.
• Doesn’t seem to be a great passer. Couple wonky passes here and there, and doesn’t have the handles or ability to fight pressure to be that guy getting 3+ assist a game.
• His instinct is to play fast… rebound and looks up for a pass. Good instinct.
• Abraham and Howard are more ¾ combos… Edgecombe is a little bit more pure 3 in my eyes.
• Great conditioning. Feels unlimited honestly. Moves really efficiently.
• Driving ability is pretty limited… resorts to backing guys down or fading away. Needs to learn to create his space and hit people on the drive.
• Got into some foul trouble and lost some of his fire on defense. Learning moment.

Rebound and run
Contested Trey
Missed 2
Offensive board and draws the foul ½ from the line
Steal but misses the jam
Look at this ball pressure, I love it
Potential drive and kick assist
Block (should’ve been a foul I think)... poor defense that led to it.
Think it must count as a steal
Another steal on the next possession (keep watching for the lob to Ross for the big slam)
Drive, stop, and pop for 2
Base closeout
Board
Drive and mini-post-up for 2
Missed 3 follow by a GREAT hustle play deflection.
Drive and a missed 2
Easy transition 2
Jab, drive and fouled ½ from the line
Deflection nice hustle play
Silly TO. walked oob
AWESOME contest
Missed 3
Spin and miss 2
Missed 3
Missed 2… bad shot
Board
Handoff assist
Board and outlet
Block
Pretty foul assist

 

[WrenchFan69]

Any ideas why we're just now offering a top 20 class of 2024 kid playing in NY? Would think we'd have been on that a year ago

 

[Jre2000]

Any ideas why we're just now offering a top 20 class of 2024 kid playing in NY? Would think we'd have been on that a year ago

He was unranked a year ago. Jump up to 60ish only a couple months ago, then exploded to the top20. Has been very recent rise

 

[caw]

VJ Edgecombe/LUHI vs. AZ Compass Prep

On Ross: I am sticking by my assessment that Ross is going to play above his ranking. Went bananas this game. Loved defensive energy. He has unlimited hustle. Works hard on defense and scraps for boards. Good length. Being a lightweight effects defense. Moving off the ball well. Low-usage guy, but just gets the job done. Ended up with 26 points on 9/11 shooting (2/4 from deep). Yeesh. My favorite play … or maybe this one or maybe this one to force the TO.

Ross and Edgecomb were very good this game.

In the first half I think Ross had 14. 10 were pure hustle plays (2 OR, 2 fast breaks, 1 back door cut) another bucket was a nice sidestep jumper. Second half wasn’t much different. Very opportunistic offensive player, doesn’t force really much of anything. He did hit a nice midrange curl shot off a set play and had a fantastic head/shot fake two dribble drive though.

Three comments on Ross from this game:
1) the ball does not stick with him, but he also doesn’t throw any “impressive” passes. He makes decisions quickly though. Similar to Karaban.
2) he was practically jumping up and down begging for the pass from teammates at times. They aren’t bad passers or ball hogs but the ball didn’t find him a lot on the arc. Not sure why.
3) he was playing a lot of post defense so it’s hard to judge how good he is. And they went zone in the second half. He’s very thin, even for high school post defense and he rarely defended the perimeter. Loads of energy though. Just impossible to judge based on this game but he did overreact to ball fakes at least twice, recovered well once.

Edgecomb was almost as good as Ross this game. They dominated the first half for their team. He attacks a lot more than Ross and has a pretty good shot repertoire in the paint for a guard. Fast three point shot though he seemed more comfortable shooting off the bounce.

OT is Napier the best ever three point shooter off the bounce at UConn?

Younger Ross didn’t get much PT this game but he looks more fluid than his older brother in the half court, not as long though.

 

[dennismenace]

Smooth and explosive, good hops and around the 4:30 and on area he shows equal ability to drive and score with his left hand. Very impressive. "Long arms". Oh yeah!

If he is making these upward explosions in the rankings he has motivation.

 

[dennismenace]

 

[Samoo]

Strong, quick, aggressive, uses both hands, plays D, what's not to like?

 

[microfich]

If VJ Edgecombe doesn't immediately make you think of Vernon Giscombe you are probably under 50 years old.

 

[Umami Zen]

Very efficient with his moves to the hoop.. Actually looks like he enjoys scoring in the paint vs the bigger dudes. Could see him getting a lot of "and ones" at the CBB level with different officiating(tighter) than these games.. Seems very purposeful and intentional in his shot package. Looks more well rounded/smoother in his shot making than some of the wings we're recruiting.. Although a little shorter in stature. More of a 2/3 than a 3/4..Would be an excellent player in the physical BE

 

[TheHorde]

If VJ Edgecombe doesn't immediately make you think of Vernon Giscombe you are probably under 50 years old.

I understood that reference.

 

[husky429]

Ross and Edgecomb were very good this game.

In the first half I think Ross had 14. 10 were pure hustle plays (2 OR, 2 fast breaks, 1 back door cut) another bucket was a nice sidestep jumper. Second half wasn’t much different. Very opportunistic offensive player, doesn’t force really much of anything. He did hit a nice midrange curl shot off a set play and had a fantastic head/shot fake two dribble drive though.

Three comments on Ross from this game:
1) the ball does not stick with him, but he also doesn’t throw any “impressive” passes. He makes decisions quickly though. Similar to Karaban.
2) he was practically jumping up and down begging for the pass from teammates at times. They aren’t bad passers or ball hogs but the ball didn’t find him a lot on the arc. Not sure why.
3) he was playing a lot of post defense so it’s hard to judge how good he is. And they went zone in the second half. He’s very thin, even for high school post defense and he rarely defended the perimeter. Loads of energy though. Just impossible to judge based on this game but he did overreact to ball fakes at least twice, recovered well once.

Edgecomb was almost as good as Ross this game. They dominated the first half for their team. He attacks a lot more than Ross and has a pretty good shot repertoire in the paint for a guard. Fast three point shot though he seemed more comfortable shooting off the bounce.

OT is Napier the best ever three point shooter off the bounce at UConn?

Younger Ross didn’t get much PT this game but he looks more fluid than his older brother in the half court, not as long though.

Re: Ross
1) Karaban is a world's better passer than Ross, and throws a number of "impressive" passes. He might be pur best passing PF ever.

3) Ross is going to have to play post defense here too. He's going to get hunted by bigger wings if he can't defend the drive or post-up, just like Karaban did.

 

[FreeKlaiber]

VJ Edgecombe/LUHI vs. AZ Compass Prep

On Ross: I am sticking by my assessment that Ross is going to play above his ranking. Went bananas this game. Loved defensive energy. He has unlimited hustle. Works hard on defense and scraps for boards. Good length. Being a lightweight effects defense. Moving off the ball well. Low-usage guy, but just gets the job done. Ended up with 26 points on 9/11 shooting (2/4 from deep). Yeesh. My favorite play … or maybe this one or maybe this one to force the TO.

13 PTS
5 REB (1 offensive)
1 AST (1 potential / 3 foul)

2 TO
3 STL
2 BLK

3/7 2FG
1/4 3FG
4/6 FT

Overall: Just based on this game, he is up there with Howard for my favorite SF this class. A little bit better with the ball in our hands than our other targets, but shorter. Apparently shoots 43% from deep in NIBC and was leading scorer in the conference. Should be something like 6’5 or 6’6. Great athlete, coached well, and has some nice defensive instincts. Very good defender when locked in, but seemed to lose some spark in the 3rd quarter onward. Solid straight-line driver with both hands. Limited as a passer but had a few nice reads.

In-game thoughts:

• This is VERY high level basketball team. Tons of talent and well-coached. These teams would beat a whole lotta D1 teams.
• Apparently he shot 43% from deep in NIBC games this year. Good grief, sign me up.
• Announcers said he was the leading scorer in the NIBC this year (the conference with Luhi, Montverde, Link, etc… best teams in the country)
• I see him listed anywhere from 6’4-6’7 and about 180lbs-210lbs. Looks more like 6’5 to me (noticably shorter than Jayden Ross). Probably would be listed in college at 6’6. Announcers keep saying he’s 6’7 and 210 but I don’t see that right now… doesn’t look that big or tall to me?
• Great athlete. GREAT and puts it to use too. Plays a little stuff in the hips and upper body.
• Seems to be able to able to drive a bit with each hand… definitely more of a straight line 2-3 dribbles driver, not a lead/secondary ballhandler. But serviceable. Definitely can go both directions comfortably 1v1
• Solid looking stroke.
• Finishes with both hands.
• Finishing bag fairly limited with his right, but better with his left? Not sure.
• Well-coached on defense. I love Luhi for that.
• Had some nice anticipation and help on defense. Seems to read plays well.
• Similar to Abraham/Howard/Betsey that he seems to be a low-usage player. Doesn’t demand many touches.
• Phenomenal at ball pressure when locked in. Super quick feet and hands. Gets his hands in a ton of different plays. Deflections, steals, blocks… love it.
• Drives and makes plays from the FT line. Like that.
• Good frame to get stronger IMO.
• Doesn’t seem to be a great passer. Couple wonky passes here and there, and doesn’t have the handles or ability to fight pressure to be that guy getting 3+ assist a game.
• His instinct is to play fast… rebound and looks up for a pass. Good instinct.
• Abraham and Howard are more ¾ combos… Edgecombe is a little bit more pure 3 in my eyes.
• Great conditioning. Feels unlimited honestly. Moves really efficiently.
• Driving ability is pretty limited… resorts to backing guys down or fading away. Needs to learn to create his space and hit people on the drive.
• Got into some foul trouble and lost some of his fire on defense. Learning moment.

Rebound and run
Contested Trey
Missed 2
Offensive board and draws the foul ½ from the line
Steal but misses the jam
Look at this ball pressure, I love it
Potential drive and kick assist
Block (should’ve been a foul I think)... poor defense that led to it.
Think it must count as a steal
Another steal on the next possession (keep watching for the lob to Ross for the big slam)
Drive, stop, and pop for 2
Base closeout
Board
Drive and mini-post-up for 2
Missed 3 follow by a GREAT hustle play deflection.
Drive and a missed 2
Easy transition 2
Jab, drive and fouled ½ from the line
Deflection nice hustle play
Silly TO. walked oob
AWESOME contest
Missed 3
Spin and miss 2
Missed 3
Missed 2… bad shot
Board
Handoff assist
Board and outlet
Block
Pretty foul assist

I really appreciate you’re scouting reports. They are well done. Thanks

 

[rip7774]

If Abraham is about done to us, this is prob a non-story right, or would be in addition to?

Obv recruiting things change I’m just not aware how many we likely take since last year was so big. Figure pg, wing, big. Don’t follow it like I used to at all.

 

[caw]

Re: Ross
1) Karaban is a world's better passer than Ross, and throws a number of "impressive" passes. He might be pur best passing PF ever.

3) Ross is going to have to play post defense here too. He's going to get hunted by bigger wings if he can't defend the drive or post-up, just like Karaban did.

1) I think you are misconstruing what I meant, though it is partially how I ended up writing it. I meant the not having any "impressive" passes solely for Ross for this game. I was connecting the "He makes decisions quickly." to "Similar to Karaban." That was my fault because it was meant to be one sentence and I apparently double spaced and made it two. Karaban is a better passer, and showed it in high school. I do think Karaban didn't really have that role last year with UConn but do expect him to show more this coming year.

2) Don't disagree, but he was too thin to be really good at it. And it's a worry. Though perhaps he's gained some strength. His length in the post is good and whoever UConn puts at the 4 and/or 5 next to him if he plays the 3 or 4 will be loads better than who played next to him in high school.

 

[Palatine]

"6-foot-4 with long arms" Hurley definitely has a type.

 

[Mooch82]

If Abraham is about done to us, this is prob a non-story right, or would be in addition to?

Obv recruiting things change I’m just not aware how many we likely take since last year was so big. Figure pg, wing, big. Don’t follow it like I used to at all.

Different positions. He’d be a 2 guard…we’re also recruiting Austin Schwartz and Billy Richmond at that spot but no visits set. Abraham more of a wing or a small ball 4…so more of an overlap with Howard and Betsey. I think the plan is Betsey and one of Abraham/Howard. Nowell and Ngongba seem to be stand alone recruits at their positions right now…which is probably why the staff is ALL over Nowell especially.

 

[TheHorde]

Different positions. He’d be a 2 guard…we’re also recruiting Austin Schwartz and Billy Richmond at that spot but no visits set. Abraham more of a wing or a small ball 4…so more of an overlap with Howard and Betsey. I think the plan is Betsey and one of Abraham/Howard. Nowell and Ngongba seem to be stand alone recruits at their positions right now…which is probably why the staff is ALL over Nowell especially.

Agree with this. I see at least 4 recruits coming in, possibly 5. We have an open scholarship right now. Diarra, Spencer, and Newton all have one year of eligibility remaining. Then you could have 1-2 early departures to the NBA.

 

[Mooch82]

Agree with this. I see at least 4 recruits coming in, possibly 5. We have an open scholarship right now. Diarra, Spencer, and Newton all have one year of eligibility remaining. Then you could have 1-2 early departures to the NBA.

Diarra could technically come back for a 5th year, but otherwise agreed.