Ace Baldwin Jr. might be the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, but he’s spent this offseason in the gym with clear intentions.
“I just saw what the Big Ten was like [and] I just want to win the conference…”
Following a senior year in which Baldwin earned individual accolades, the graduate student knew all along that he would use his last year of eligibility to stay with Penn State.
“I knew I was coming back… The reason [I wanted to come back] was because we did [well] last year, but I think we are going to come back and have a big year.”
For coach Mike Rhoades and his staff, a communal sigh of relief would be an appropriate response for one of the team’s most important returning players. Ace Baldwin is a leader of this team, and his two-way impact is the secret weapon Penn State has and will rely on for the 2024-25 season.
Ace Baldwin Jr., Penn State
NAME: Ace Baldwin Jr.
HOMETOWN: Baltimore, Md.
POSITION: Guard
YEAR: Graduate Assistant
HEIGHT: 6-fo0t-1
WEIGHT: 190
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Ace Baldwin is coming off a season in which he earned his second conference Defensive Player of the Year award of his career (won the award in the Atlantic 10 in 2023 along with the conference’s Player of the Year Award) and was named to the Third-Team All-Big Ten. By the conclusion of his senior year, Baldwin Jr. was the only active Division I player with career totals of 1,000 (1,297) points, 600 (618) assists and 250 (271) steals.
Individually Baldwin had a stellar year, setting career highs in points (14.2), assists (6.0) and steals (2.7, fourth in the nation). He led Penn State in scoring nine times and eclipsed the 20-point mark six times. His season-high point total came against his former team, VCU, in which he amassed 27 points, five assists and three steals. But as a two-way lead guard, Baldwin stamped his case for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year after he forced eight takeaways against Northwestern, tying a single-game program record.
But as a team, Penn State finished 11th in the conference with a 16-17 (9-11) record. In games where Baldwin scored 17 or more points, the team’s record was 7-5. In the six games he scored 20 or more? 5-1, including a win over ranked Wisconsin. On a per 100 possessions basis, Penn State was six points better with Baldwin on the floor, which ranked in the 85th percentile in the Big Ten.
If Penn State gets back to the NCAA Tournament, it’ll be behind Ace Baldwin’s continued production, on both ends of the floor, that will get it there.
