Justin Edwards recalls his high school matchup with new Sixers teammate VJ Edgecombe: ‘We got smoked’
Edwards was the nation's No. 2 recruit for Imhotep when his team faced New York's Long Island Lutheran in 2022. Edgecombe, then a junior, had 24 points in the 65-55 win.
Justin Edwards and VJ Edgecombe have been inseparable during the 76ers’ summer league post-practice shooting drills.
It fortifies the bond the duo has been developing since the Sixers selected Edgecombe third overall in last week’s NBA draft.
But it wasn’t long ago when they were adversaries in a high school game that catapulted Edgecombe in the national spotlight.
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Edwards, the nation’s No. 3 high school prospect in the Class of 2023, and his Imhotep Charter teammates were in New York to face Edgecombe’s Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.) team in the MADE Hoops Jordan Holiday Classic on Dec. 27, 2022.
So what does Edwards recall about facing Edgecombe at the Gauchos Gym in the South Bronx?
“We got smoked,” he said of the 65-55 loss. “That’s what I remember. Yeah. We lost. We just won City of Palms [in Florida]. We were coming off a win in that and then came back and played them.”
Edgecombe finished with 24 points, six rebounds, four assists, and five blocks. The guard also had the play of the day with a transition dunk on Edwards in front of Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony.
“He didn’t dunk on me. No,” said Edwards, who had 16 points that day.
At the time, Edgecombe was a junior climbing up the high school rankings for the Class of 2024.
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“I didn’t know who he was until after that game. I’m like, ‘He’s nice,’” Edwards said of the Bahamian standout. “Kudos to him [for] all the hard work he put in to get to this point.”
Edgecombe averaged 15.5 points, 5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.2 steals as a junior while being named the New York Gatorade Player of the Year and National Interscholastic Basketball Conference Player of the Year.
He finished his prep career as the third-ranked prospect in his class.
But on that Tuesday in New York, Edgecombe handed Edwards and the Panthers their first loss of the season. In fact, that was a rare high school loss for Edwards, who finished his career with a 94-15 record and two PIAA Class 5A championships.
That season, Edwards averaged 17.9 points and 7.5 rebounds while leading Imhotep to a 30-3 record, a state title, and No. 11 national ranking by USA Today.
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Long Island Lutheran (23-3) finished one spot ahead in rankings. After losing two of their first three games, the Crusaders won 22 straight games — highlighted by victories over Imhotep, Oak Hill Academy (Va.), AZ Compass Prep (Ariz.), and Sunrise Christian (Kan.).