When Mike Rhoades took over at Penn State in April 2023, he wanted to build something that outlasted his tenure.
That something included a winning culture and a foundation for bringing in recruits, but also a family.
“When you keep guys and guys want to be here to build something and put their prints on it, you know, you’re really proud of that,” Rhoades said in the preseason.
“I always want what we do to go beyond basketball. I want our relationships with our staff to be more than just basketball and transactional. I don’t want that. I want a relationship that goes well beyond the sport and what we do. And basketball brought us together. But the way we treat each other, the way we love each other, makes us family forever. And that’s really important to me.”
A key member of Rhoades’ family at Penn State is graduate student Ace Baldwin Jr.
Ace Baldwin Jr. averaged 12.7 points, 5.8 assists and 2.2 steals in his senior season at VCU. Photo via VCU Athletics.
Rhoades and Baldwin Jr. have been together for the last five years, getting their start at Virginia Commonwealth University. During their three years with the Rams, they won an Atlantic 10 championship and made it to the NCAA Tournament two times. Baldwin Jr. was the A-10 Player and Defensive Player of the Year in his last season at VCU before he followed Rhoades to Penn State.
Rhoades has been able to stay with Baldwin Jr. through the latter’s collegiate career in part because of a bond they share off the court; the passing of their fathers.
In July 2019, Baldwin Jr.’s father Adrian “Buttons” Baldwin died from leukemia. 11 years prior, Rhoades’ father was killed in a drunk driving accident. Both men looked up to their dads when it came to playing basketball.
“When my dad passed, I actually wanted to stop playing basketball,” Baldwin Jr. said in an interview with the Big Ten Network.
“That’s why I played, and just watching him in the stands every game, him talking to me during the game, like, that’s why I did it.”
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Ace Baldwin Jr. in the championship game of the 48th annual BCL tournament at Loyola University’s Reitz Arena. (Rob Carr/Special to the Review)
Baldwin Jr.’s mother, Nina Parker-Baldwin, grew anxious and gave Rhoades a call, saying “Coach Rhoades you better come down here and get this boy.”
And Rhoades did just that, believing that he could relate to Baldwin Jr. on a personal level.
“Because I went through that (the death of his father), I think I can help a guy like Ace,” Rhoades said.
During their first season together, Baldwin Jr. was named to the A-10 All-Rookie team after averaging 6.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists— the most by a freshman in VCU history. The Rams made it to the conference championship game before losing to St. Bonaventure but they continued to be staples in the playoffs in the subsequent two seasons.
In their first year at Penn State, Rhoades earned credit for winning the second most conference games by a first-year head coach at PSU, while Baldwin was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
This season, the Nittany Lions are 12-3, 2-2, but were initially off to the school’s best start in 25 years with a 6-0 record. Baldwin is a National Player of the Year candidate and Rhoades has shown the ability to rebuild a program like some of the best in the sport.
Penn State Basketball Takeaways: Mike Rhoades Earns 400th Win Despite Team’s Shooting Struggles
Individually and collectively, both men have great resumes on the court, but because of the bond they share off it, they will be family forever; which embodies Rhoades’ true goal of being a head coach.
The full video that aired on the Big Ten Network on Sunday is available here on X.
