LOS ANGELES (USA) - Expectations have risen in Bahamas basketball.
It's because the Caribbean nation won the 2023 Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Argentina and then came within a single victory of reaching the Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament Paris last year.
The national team had the "wow factor" at the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Valencia, where they not only played hard, played smart and played together, by defeating Finland and Poland in the Group Phase, and then Lebanon in the Semi-Finals. They played above the rim and beyond expectations.
Against hosts Spain in the Final, Bahamas led by as many as six points in the second quarter and only trailed the European giants 83-77 with 1:47 remaining before falling, 86-78.
If the NBA cadre of Buddy Hield, Deandre Ayton and Eric Gordon was in the spotlight before the OQT in Spain, a special teen-aged talent grabbed the limelight at the event.
His name was VJ Edgecombe, and what he put on display was unbelievable.
Edgecombe put on a show, averaging 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
He was explosive in his national team debut.
On offense, the 1.96M (6'5") guard hit 3-pointers, scored with mid-range jump shots, on high-flying drives to the basket and also with put-back jams.
He has since played at Baylor University and, on June 25, just several weeks ago, was taken 3rd overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Draft.
His performance at the OQT raised his profile. People are still asking him about it.
"YOU KNOW, OVERSEAS FANS ARE PASSIONATE ... YOU COULDN’T HEAR YOURSELF THINK IN THERE (VALENCIA). I ENJOYED THE ATMOSPHERE"
On Podcast P with Paul George, Edgecombe talked about showing up at training camp to get ready for the OQT.
"First day I went into practice, trying to fit in," he said.
Then his approach changed, immediately.
"I was like, hell no. I'm coming in to play. I'm guarding, I'm talking trash to everybody. Like I'm telling Buddy he sucked. Buddy, he don’t suck, but I’m letting him know what's up. There's a video going around of me talking to all of them...
"And then EG (Eric Gordon) was on the squad. I just went there to find my role. I figured out my role early: Defend, make open shots, straight line drives. It was kind of easy for me because there was so much space. I feel like I thrive in space, bro. Like, I can run the floor. I was just hooping. First game, I had like 20 some (points), I shot like 11 shots. It was an efficient game. That was lit."
Edgecombe remembers the pain of just missing out on the Games.
"That hurt so bad (to lose to Spain) ... I always wanted to go to the Olympics. I used to watch the Olympics as a kid, even just track and field. We were one game away from the Olympics. (I was thinking) We can really make the Olympics, go to Paris for the first time, all my family can come out. Bahamas can be on the world stage.
"I'm like, 'we're just so close.' I got in foul trouble early against Spain, They started making shots. You got the crowd behind them. You know, overseas fans are passionate. They had the crowd going, you couldn’t hear yourself think in there. I enjoyed the atmosphere. I was able to learn, too. I feel like if I had made the Olympics, nobody could talk to me ..."
To play alongside NBA stars was a true confidence booster for Edgecombe.
"I love Buddy to death," he said. "He works hard. Every morning he’s on the beach, he’s running the beach, he’s leaving us behind.
"This NBA conditioning is a lot different than high school, college, whatever. When I realized how hard he worked, I realized it was time for me to start working hard. He helped me a lot. That’s my dawg."
Bahamas didn't make it to Paris, but Los Angeles could be a different story. Edgecombe may help his country clinch its first Olympic berth.
"In three or four years, I feel like we"ll have a chance to make it again," he said. "I'll be better for sure. It's going to be my team and not Buddy's team no more."
FIBA