After not traveling with the squad to Uruguay for The Bahamas’ latest FIBA World Cup Qualifying win, VJ Edgecombe suited up for his home country against Panama in Nassau on Monday night. Anyone not rooting for Panama was happy VJ made the trip, as the 21-year-old went off for 25 points, five rebounds, and four assists in The Bahamas’ 100-82 win. Edgecombe finished 7-of-11 from behind the arc and was particularly scorching in the first half, tallying 22 points before halftime powered by a perfect 6-of-6 from downtown. In addition to his sharpshooting, VJ showed off the hops in a big way.
It’s fun to envision all the lobs new teammates Lebron James is going to throw to Edgecombe during the upcoming season for the Philadelphia 76ers. The outside shot also looks to be improved, as from the admittedly slightly shorter FIBA line, Edgecombe has now shot 18-of-31 (58.1 percent) in his three qualifying games for The Bahamas this calendar year.
The Bahamas (12 points) currently sit fourth in the group for Qualifying, two points behind Argentina and Uruguay. The top three teams in the group will earn a berth to next year’s World Cup, as will the better of the fourth-place teams between the two groups (Mexico is currently in fourth in the other group with 13 points). If we’re going to see VJ Edgecombe in official World Cup play, his teammates for The Bahamas will have to get it done without him (and the other current NBA players on the squad). The final two qualifying windows will take place in late November and February during the NBA season.