Major Duke Basketball Recruit Narrows Focus to Five Schools’

Duke basketball appears to be battling four (maybe five) others for VJ Edgecombe.

Some insiders see the VJ Edgecombe sweepstakes as a two-horse race between the Duke basketball program and fellow recruiting juggernaut Kentucky. Even so, per Rivals’ Rob Cassidy, the Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.) five-star guard said this week that he’s still considering five colleges.

Baylor, Florida, and St. John’s are the others remaining in the mix alongside the Blue Devils and Wildcats. All five have hosted Edgecombe for an official visit.

The 6-foot-5, 180-pound senior, No. 5 overall on the 247Sports 2024 Composite, has not announced an official trimming of his list of 11 favorites. Still, it sounds like the other programs once in play (Alabama, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, UConn) are now all but out of contention for his electrifying services.

VJ Edgecombe, the highest-ranked 2024 candidate still on the board, hasn’t completely ruled out a professional suitor, according to Cassidy:

He’s likely to make a decision within the next few months. Edgecombe told the media this week that he is now “leaning one way” in his recruitment, but he did not specify which way.

Meanwhile, Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer and his teammates have the nation’s top-ranked 2024 recruiting class, with five highly touted signees already on board. Five-star forward Cooper Flagg, five-star forward Isaiah Evans, five-star forward Kon Knueppel, five-star centre Patrick Ngongba II, and four-star forward Darren Harris are among the winners.