“VJ Edgecombe hasn’t declared yet”: Hoops fans react as Baylor possibly has 0 returning players for next season
Baylor is going to be facing a major rebuild ahead of next season. On Thursday, Recruits News and College Basketball Report shared a shocking statistic on Instagram: the Bears have no players returning.
Rob Wright III and Langston Love have already found new schools for next season. Jalen Calestine, Joshua Ojianwuna, Jason Asemota and Kaleb Jackson are all in the transfer portal. Jeremy Roach, Jayden Nunn and Norchad Omier have exhausted their eligibility. Freshman phenom VJ Edgecombe is projected to be selected in the NBA draft.
College hoops fans reacted to news of Baylor's diminished roster. One comment pointed out the inaccuracy of the post, as Edgecombe hasn't declared for the NBA draft yet and could therefore still return to Baylor.
"Edgecombe hasn't declared yet actually!"
Some argued that the Bears will be fine, as they have already picked up some players this offseason and many players remain in the transfer portal.
"That won't be hard it's 192872636263525224252 people in the portal😂😂🔥"
"Baylor got 6 transfers already committed lol and a 4 star coming in"
Others pointed to other programs that have faced the same issue in recent seasons.
"Kansas, Indiana and Baylor all hitting the reset🤯"
"Welp ...... 🤷♂️(Cal went to a Sweet 16 with a whole new roster)"
"WVU has done this like 3 of the last 4 years"
Baylor's 2024-25 season
The Baylor Bears won their first program national title in 2021, but since then, they haven't advanced past the Round of 32. Baylor opened the 2024-25 season ranked No. 8 in the AP Poll after serving as a No. 3 seed in the 2024 March Madness.
This team had an up-and-down season from the get-go, kicking things off with a loss to Gonzaga before winning five straight. Baylor picked up several non-conference wins early on but failed to perform against top opponents, dropping a game to No. 11 Tennessee before falling to No. 25 UConn less than two weeks later. By Week 6, the Bears had fallen out of the AP Top 25.
A 10-10 conference record perfectly highlighted the mediocrity of Baylor's season. The squad received a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament and narrowly defeated No. 8 Mississippi State in the First Round. The Bears' season ended when they were defeated by top-seeded Duke 89-66 in the Round of 32. Baylor now looks to rebuild and regain the success from the 2021 season.