'He has shown serious flashes': VJ Edgecombe dazzles in Bahamas' win over Finland in Olympic qualifier

Playing alongside three players in the NBA, Baylor commit VJ Edgecombe dazzled on Tuesday to help the Bahamas defeat Finland to open the 2024 Olympic qualifying tournament.

Buddy Hield produced a game-high 24 points and six rebounds, while Edgecombe finished with 20 points and four rebounds to lead the Bahamas to the 96-85 victory in Valencia, Spain. Deandre Ayton had 19 points and nine rebounds and Eric Gordon added 16 points.

Finland led by as many as nine points in the first half to take a 54-47 lead at the intermission. The Bahamas responded by outscoring Finland 49-31 in the second half, with Edgecombe scoring 10 points alone in the fourth quarter to help the group pull out the win.

“He has been a high-level talent all of his life,” Hield said of Edgecombe. “He even busted my (expletive) in practice, too. He has shown serious flashes, and he is very coachable. He just wants to learn the game and is fun to be around, fun to play with and responds the right way. He is a high-character kid and the game always rewards that.”

Edgecombe, the No. 5 prospect in the class of 2024, is one of six collegiate players named to the Bahamas’ final 12-man roster. He previously represented his country in the Nike Hoop Summit in April, recording 17 points and five rebounds in a loss to USA Basketball.

The 19-year-old quickly emerged as one of the top players in training camp to earn his first senior national team appearance. He averaged 12 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals in two tune-up games before the start of the qualifying tournament.

“He stepped into our training camp right away, and he belonged,” coach Chris Demarco said. “You never really know what somebody is going to look like until you see him around your veterans and your best players… from Day 1, he was ready. He has been waiting for this opportunity and it has been really beneficial for our team.”

After defeating Finland, the Bahamas can become one of two teams from Group B to advance to the semifinals of the tournament by defeating Poland on Wednesday. They would face one of the top two teams from Group A, which features Angola, Lebanon and Spain.

The winner of the qualifying tournament will claim one of the four remaining spots in the 2024 Olympic Games. That country will be placed in Group A to start the Olympics, along with Australia, Canada and another team from a qualifying tournament.

The Bahamas are seeking its first appearance in the Olympic Games.