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<h1 align="right" style="text-align:right"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;text-decoration:none">BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – March 4, 2025<o:p></o:p></span></b></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<h2 align="left" style="text-align:left"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black;font-style:normal">Baylor MBB’s Edgecombe Named Jerry West Award Finalist<o:p></o:p></span></b></h2>
<h2 align="left" style="text-align:left"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black;font-style:normal">The freshman is BU’s third finalist for in the last five seasons<o:p></o:p></span></b></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">For more information contact:
</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">Matt Roberts, 254-227-2280,
</span><a href="mailto:WM_Roberts@Baylor.edu"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">WM_Roberts@Baylor.edu</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – </span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black;font-weight:normal">Baylor freshman guard VJ Edgecombe has
been selected as one of five finalists for the 2025 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, announced Tuesday by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight:normal"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black;font-weight:normal"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black;font-weight:normal">Baylor is one of just three schools to have a Jerry West Award finalist in three of the last five seasons, joining Arizona and Kansas. Edgecombe is the
latest Baylor back-court star to be recognized by the Hall of Fame after Adam Flagler (2023) and MaCio Teague (2021) were finalists as well.<span style="background:white"><o:p></o:p></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black;background:white;font-weight:normal"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black;font-weight:normal">Named after Class of 1980 Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor in its ninth year recognizes the top
shooting guards in the country.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black;font-weight:normal"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black;font-weight:normal">Edgecombe is joined on the list by Arizona’s Caleb Love, Memphis’ PJ Haggerty, Tennessee’s Chaz Lanier and Texas’ Tre Johnson. The preseason Big 12 Freshman
of the year is aiming</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#666666;background:white">
</span><strong><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black;font-weight:normal">to become the second player in program history to win a national individual award, following Johnathan Motley's 2017 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year honor.
<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black;background:white;font-weight:normal"> <o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black;font-weight:normal">Named to the preseason and midseason watch lists as well, the fabulous freshman has lived up to his billing, averaging 17.2 points per game over his last
12 games, shooting 47% from the field, 40% from three and 80% from the line. Edgecombe ranks eighth in the Big 12, averaging 16.3 points per game in conference play and with 14.6 points per game, he is on pace for the fifth-best scoring average by a freshman
in BU history.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black;font-weight:normal"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">The winner of the 2025 Jerry West Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented
include the Bob Cousy Award (Point Guard), Julius Erving Award (Small Forward), Karl Malone Award (Power Forward) and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center), in addition to the Women’s Starting Five.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><strong><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black;font-weight:normal">Baylor returns to action on Tuesday night when they travel to TCU to face the Horned Frogs at 7 p.m. on ESPN+. BU enters Tuesday’s
game hunting a fifth-straight win in Fort Worth. John Morris and Pat Nunley will
</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">have the call on the Baylor Sports Media Network via ESPN Central Texas and Centexsportsfan.com on 1660 AM and 92.3 FM.</span><strong><u><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#666666;background:white"><o:p></o:p></span></u></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#666666;background:white"> <strong><u><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></u></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><strong><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black;font-weight:normal">Follow @BaylorMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates throughout the year.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><strong><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black;font-weight:normal"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><strong><u><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">SEASON HONORS<o:p></o:p></span></u></strong></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><b><u><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;text-transform:uppercase">VJ EDGECOMBE</span></u></b><u><span style="text-transform:uppercase"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Jerry West Award Watch List<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Naismith Trophy Watch List<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Wooden Award Preseason Top-50<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Sporting News All-America Third Team<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Lute Olson Award Early Season Watch List<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Big 12 co-Newcomer of the Week (1/27)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Jerry West Award Midseason Top-10<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Jerry West Award Finalist<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><b><u><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">NORCHAD OMIER<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Preseason All-Big 12 Second Team<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">NABC Player of the Year Watch List<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Watch List<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Karl Malone Award Watch List<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Wooden Award Preseason Top-50<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Lute Olson Award Early Season Watch List<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Big 12 Player of the Week (11/25)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Oscar Robertson Midseason Top-50<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Karl Malone Award Midseason Top-10<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><b><u><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">JEREMY ROACH<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Big 12 co-Newcomer of the Year<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Preseason All-Big 12 Second Team<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Bob Cousy Award Watch list<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Naismith Trophy Award Watch List<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Wooden Award Preseason Top-50<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Lute Olson Award Early Season Watch List<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><b><u><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">ROBERT WRIGHT<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Big 12 Newcomer of the Week (2/3)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><strong><u><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black"><o:p><span style="text-decoration:none"> </span></o:p></span></u></strong></p>
<p align="center" style="text-align:center;background:white"><span style="color:black"><a href="http://www.baylorbears.com/"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">www.BaylorBears.com</span></a></span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;background:white"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:#0F5C1A">Josie Hutton</span></b><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"> | Associate Director of Athletics Communications (FB, T&F/XC, MTEN) <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">Department of Athletics | Baylor University<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">C: (254) 709-7720<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.baylorbears.com/" title=""Original URL:
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Click to follow link.""><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:blue;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="159" height="43" style="width:1.6562in;height:.4479in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01DB8C7B.757612E0" alt="signature_2230589939"></span></a><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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