Baylor perspective via Waco Tribune-Herald
Working in paradise: Baylor taking business trip approach to Bahamas tournament
Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe (7) looks for a shot in the team’s win over Tarleton State. Edgecombe will be playing in his home country of the Bahamas this week as the Bears face St. John’s Thursday and either Tennessee or Virginia Friday.
Ernesto Garcia, Tribune-Herald
Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe (7) looks for a shot in the team’s win over Tarleton State. Edgecombe will be playing in his home country of the Bahamas this week as the Bears face St. John’s Thursday and either Tennessee or Virginia Friday.
If Baylor doesn’t have sold-out crowds for its games at the Continental Tire Baha Mar Championship in the Bahamas this week, Scott Drew is holding VJ Edgecombe personally responsible.
“I told VJ he’s in charge of sellouts,” Drew said, laughing. “If we’re not the home team, I would be really surprised. We’ve got to make sure he’s not distracted.”
Edgecombe personally can’t wait to show off in his homeland this week. But as far as getting distracted in this Caribbean paradise, the Bears completely understand that this isn’t a vacation.
“First, it’s a business trip and you’ve got to have a team that knows it’s a business trip,” Drew said. “With the four teams there, everyone will approach it as a business trip. You’re not going to win this because someone is going to let you win, you’re going to have to beat them. We’re going to have to be at our best, and the great thing is, again, we’ll learn a lot about what areas we need to continue to improve in and what areas we’re maybe better than we thought.”
After opening their season with a pair of Top 25 opponents in No. 3 Gonzaga and No. 20 Arkansas, the 13th-ranked Bears (3-1) downshifted to some easier competition with a pair of home games against in-state foes Sam Houston and Tarleton State. Not surprisingly, Baylor obliterated those opponents with physical, dynamic play on both ends, defeating the Bearkats, 104-67, before smashing the Texans, 104-41.
Now the schedule bites back again. Baylor will face No. 22 St. John’s (4-0) in its Baha Mar opener at 6 p.m. Central Thursday. Then depending on the outcome of day one, the Bears will get either No. 11 Tennessee (4-0) or Virginia (3-0) on Friday.
Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino is in his second season at St. John’s. The Red Storm went 20-13 in his debut last season, finishing fifth in the Big East. This year they’re off to a 4-0 start, including an 85-71 win over New Mexico at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, a game that featured an all-Pitino head coaching matchup, as the Lobos are led by Rick’s son Richard.
St. John’s junior forward RJ Luis Jr. tallied 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in that victory, and leads the Red Storm on the season with averages of 17.5 points and 7.8 boards.
Baylor feels as though it has unlocked something over the last couple of games. The Bears had six players score in double figures in the Tarleton win, while seven guys surpassed that plateau in the Sam Houston game.
“I feel like we’re a new offense coming in, new coaching staff, new roster overall, so it’s going to take some time to gel,” said transfer swingman Jalen Celestine. “I feel like we’re starting to hit our stride, and hopefully we just continue going into our game against St John’s and then whoever, hopefully the winner of Tennessee and Virginia.”
Generally, on any of these tropical trips, Baylor builds a few fun excursions into its schedule. This time they should have their own personal tour guide in Edgecombe, the freshman guard who was born in Bimini, Bahamas, and lived there until coming to America in the ninth grade.
“Nah, I ain’t showing them around,” Edgecombe said, laughing. “Nah, but I mean, if they want to go somewhere and we have time to I’m definitely going to show them around. (New Providence is) not my island, but I’m part of the country. I’m a citizen of the country, but I’m super excited to get to play in front of my family and everyone back home once again. I did it last year.
“Hopefully I will go there again this year and go win two games this year, too. But, we’re just bought in and focused on the next game, for sure.”
It didn’t matter to Celestine that Edgecombe didn’t grow up in Nassau, where they’ll be staying and playing. He’s counting on VJ being the Bears’ personal host.
“I’ve never been before, so he was lying. He’s gonna show me around,” Celestine said. “And then, we’re just going to go from there. Obviously the main goal is to go out there and go 2-0 like he said and just enjoy the time together. Some of our family’s going to be out there, so it’s going to be a cool little Waco getaway.”
Bear Facts
As a ranked team, St. John’s has not had a win over another ranked team since Feb. 2011, when the Johnnies took down then-No. 11 Villanova, 81-68. … Baylor guard Jayden Nunn surpassed the 1,000-career point milestone last time out, joining Jeremy Roach, Norchad Omier and Davidson Hubbard in the 1,000-point club. … Despite winning a pair of games last week by a combined 100 points, Baylor dropped one spot in the AP poll, as the Bears were the victim of rises by Purdue and Kentucky after those programs picked up Top 10 wins.
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