WATCH: V.J. Edgecombe’s poster dunk sends Mark Few’s son Joe to the floor
Five-star prospect V.J. Edgecombe made his college basketball debut for the No. 8 Baylor Bears Monday in the season opener against No. 6 Gonzaga. He started the game and played 29 minutes, scoring four points and grabbing seven rebounds in a 101-63 rout for Gonzaga.
Despite the blowout loss, one of the highlights of the night for Edgecombe was an emphatic dunk over Gonzaga guard Joe Few, the son of legendary Bulldogs coach Mark Few.
With less than two minutes left in the game, the Baylor freshman drove to the rim and rose up to slam the ball through the hoop, sending Few to the floor.
Coach Few let his son play a few minutes off the bench when Gonzaga had the game in hand at 93-57. However, it ended up being a somewhat rough night for Few as he was on the wrong side of Edgecombe's poster dunk.
"Might blow the roof off this place if Joe Few scores," An ESPN commentator said just a few moments before the dunk.
To Joe's credit, he did try his best to defend, but Edgecombe's size and aggression were too much for him to handle.
Edgecombe is in the converstion to be one of the top picks in next year’s NBA draft. Despite high expectations, his debut did not go well. He ended up with just four points on 2-11 shooting from the field and 0-3 from three-point range.
Can Edgecombe bounce back and show his full potential going forward?
It's important to note Edgecombe is just 19 years old and played his first college basketball game against a top-10 opponent on the road. At 6-foot-5 and 180 pounds, Edgecombe is more than just a "run-jump-dunk" type of athlete — he has impressive body control and moves sideways quickly, which is rare for someone his size. It will take some time for his skill set to fully translate at the college.
Fresh out of high school, he was recognized as one of the top five prospects nationwide. Scouts were full of praise for his ability to excel on both offense and defense.
"V.J. is a dynamic athlete with a great skill set," coach Scott Drew said when V.J. joined the roster in the offseason.
"He has a great feel for the game and will be a great teammate, embracing our culture of JOY. He will also be a great asset to Baylor University as a whole, and someone our fans will enjoy watching play every night."
Edgecombe averaged 30.6 points and 5.0 rebounds as a high school junior and posted 17.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game as a senior for Long Island Lutheran in New York. It'll be interesting to see how he bounces back from a tough opening performance given his impressive high school production.