VJ Edgecombe opts for Baylor over Duke basketball program

The intrigue surrounding Sunday evening's announcement from Duke basketball recruiting prospect VJ Edgecombe was massive.

There was still no definitive favorite deep into the afternoon between the Blue Devils or Baylor after Kentucky, which was also named as a finalist, had already been ruled out.

Edgecombe would go on national television during the Hoophall Classic, during halftime of Cooper Flagg's game, and select the Bears over Duke.

It has, for the time being, stopped Jon Scheyer of adding a fifth 5-star prospect to his top ranked recruiting class in Durham which features Flagg, Isaiah Evans, Kon Knueppel, Patrick Ngongba II, and Darren Harris.

VJ Edgecome is listed as the No. 5 player in the Class of 2024, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, and the top recruit in the state of New York. He joins 5-star prospect Jason Asemota and 4-star Rob Wright in Baylor's recruiting class, which ranked No. 5 in the country.

Egdecombe took his official visit to Duke two weeks after visiting Baylor and attended the program's Countdown to Craziness alongside Flagg and Ngongba, who committed to the Blue Devils within days after the event.

Reports said that Duke was a frontrunner for the Long Island Lutheran (NY) superstar after the visit but he was advised to continue with the recruiting process, visiting Kentucky and St. John's after his time in Durham.

It was only until shortly before his decision that the Bears created a lot of momentum which ultimately landed in a commitment.

Duke and Baylor are not scheduled to play each other next season, but the Blue Devils are coming off of a 78-70 victory over the Bears inside Madison Square Garden this season.

Jon Scheyer and his coaching staff are still reportedly in contention for Khaman Maluach, a NBA Africa Academy prospect, who reportedly reclassified from 2025 into 2024 last month.