Edgecombe Shines as the Bahamas Push Past Poland in Olympic Qualifiers, 90-81
In a matchup between the Bahamas and Poland at the 2024 Olympic qualifying tournament, five-star freshman VJ Edgecombe took on former BU standout and current San Antonio Spur Jeremy Sochan.
In the battle between the Bears, Edgecombe’s Bahamian team came out on top with a 90-81 victory. After a 20-point explosion against Finland on Tuesday, the 6-foot-5 guard followed that up with a team-high 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting, six rebounds and two assists in Wednesday’s win.
The projected 2025 lottery pick stole the show against Poland with attempted poster dunks, high-flying blocks and a fourth-quarter takeover that included the dagger three-pointer.
On a Bahamian team that includes three seasoned NBA veterans – Deandre Ayton, Eric Gordon and Buddy Hield – Edgecombe arguably looked like the best player on the court. Edgecombe’s performances on the global stage continue to turn heads across the basketball community, whether from teammates, coaches or front-office personnel.
“VJ’s been busting our [explitive] in practice,” Hield said of Edgecombe after Tuesday’s win over Finland. “He’s shown serious flashes. He’s very coachable. He wants to learn the game, and he’s fun to be around and play with. He’s a high-character kid; the game always rewards that, and he plays the game the right way.”
“Everything [Edgecombe] does contributes to winning – offensively, defensively, getting downhill and the way he talks [on the court],” Bahamian head coach Christopher Demarco said. “He stepped into our training camp right away, and he belonged.”
Sochan, who is entering his third season in San Antonio, put together an all-around showing, scoring 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting and collecting 10 rebounds and three assists for Poland.
While Sochan is an important piece for the Spurs organization moving forward, he had an up-and-down sophomore campaign. He showed improvement defensively but struggled to knock down jump shots consistently.
With his jumper being a clear point of emphasis this offseason, Sochan nailed the one shot he took from beyond the arc on Wednesday. After dropping just five points in the first half, the former lottery pick was extra aggressive as the game went on, getting to the rim, creating for his teammates and hauling in a team-high 10 rebounds.
Two of the three teams in Group B – the Bahamas (2-0), Finland (0-1) or Poland (0-1) – will advance to the tournament's semifinals on Friday, July 5, to face off against the two top teams from Group A – Angola (0-1), Lebanon (0-1) or Spain (2-0).
The winner of the qualifying tournament will claim one of the final four spots in the 2024 Paris Olympics and will be placed in Group A alongside Australia, Canada and a team to be named later.