I’ve caught bits and pieces of Baylor games and glimpsed VJ Edgecombe in action, but last night, I finally got to watch the full game against Kansas State. Man, this kid is special. He was the catalyst for Baylor’s comeback, leading the team to a win with 30 points on 8-of-13 shooting and just missing one free throw, finishing 11-of-12 from the charity stripe.

Right out of the gate, VJ made his presence felt with a steal. His first shot was an airball three, and I thought, “Okay, this may not be his night.” But after that, he locked in. VJ hit a couple of threes, contested shots, intercepted a pass for another steal, and displayed unselfish ball movement. Of course, he also showed off his quickness and explosiveness driving to the basket. Despite his individual efforts, though, Baylor struggled in the first half.

In the second half, VJ took over. Credit to Coach for switching to a 1-3-1 zone, which allowed Baylor to get stops and Baylor got out in transition quickly. Down by 7 with 11 minutes left in the game, the momentum shifted. VJ is deadly in open space, and that’s what really caught my eye. He thrives on the fast break. There should have been three consecutive transition baskets for VJ. The first, he ate up the open floor and glided in for a smooth finger roll. On the second, his teammate missed the opportunity to get him the ball—I was screaming at my TV. Finally, on the third, VJ was ready to take off and soared in for a dunk. Down the stretch, Baylor leaned on him, and he delivered—whether getting to the basket, knocking down a three, hitting free throws, or setting up Celestine, he did it all.

As for his weaknesses, there was one possession where he failed to rotate into help-side position, giving up an easy dunk. Also, he doesn’t seem as confident finishing when driving left compared to when he drives right—he turned back a couple of times when attacking that direction. These are small things, though, that can be improved with time.

Overall, it was an impressive performance and a gritty win, coming from behind to secure the victory.