Penn State adds former Atlantic-10 player of the year from transfer portal
Penn State has made its first addition of the Mike Rhoades era and it is a familiar face for the new head coach.
Guard Ace Baldwin Jr. committed to the Nittany Lions Sunday evening. Baldwin spent the first three years of his career under Rhoades at VCU. His time there peaked this season when he won both the Atlantic-10 player of the year and the defensive player of the year. He spearheaded the team’s aggressive defense, earning 2.2 steals per game.
He averaged 12.7 points and 5.8 assists per game as a junior and led the Rams in both categories.
His addition to the program should help ease the transition from the Micah Shrewsberry era to the new one led by Rhoades. There will likely be a drastic shift in style, with an increased focus on defense and pressuring the opposing team — areas in which Baldwin excels. He is almost guaranteed to be one of the team’s starting guards and has a chance to have an outsized impact on the 2023-2024 Penn State season.
That will be especially true if other former Rams follow him to Penn State. Several others, including Jalen DeLoach, Jamir Watkins and Jayden Nunn, have entered the transfer portal. Those three and Baldwin would have been VCU’s four leading scorers among returning players.
The addition of Baldwin brings Penn State to three scholarship players not in the portal, alongside guard Kanye Clary and center Demetrius Lilley.
