Ace Baldwin Jr. to Return to Penn State for Fifth Year

Penn State men’s basketball guard Ace Baldwin Jr. announced he will return to Happy Valley for his fifth year of eligibility on Friday afternoon.

He joins forward Puff Johnson as players using their fifth year of eligibility for the blue and white this upcoming season.

Baldwin Jr. had a stellar season in his first year for the Nittany Lions, being named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and an All-Big Ten Third Team selection.

The Baltimore, Maryland native earned national recognition, being named a Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist and a Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year Finalist.

He averaged 14.2 points, 6.0 assists, 2.7 rebounds and a Big Ten-best 2.67 steals per game, which marked the most by a Big Ten player in a single season since the 1992-93 season.

His 2.67 steals per game ranked fourth in the country, and he tallied 88 total steals to slot in as the fifth most in the nation. Baldwin Jr. also ranked in the top 25 in total assists and assists per game.

The 6-foot-1 guard etched his name into the Penn State record books as well, becoming second all-time in single-season assists, third all-time in single-season steals and fifth all-time in single-season assists average.

He finished the season as the only active Division I player with over 1,000 career points, 600 career assists and 250 career steals.

Baldwin Jr. arrived in Happy Valley after spending three years with head coach Mike Rhoades at VCU, where he was named the 2023 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and 2023 Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year.

At VCU, he was a two-time All-Conference selection while averaging 10.4 points, 5.2 assists and 2.3 steals per game in his three seasons.

The Rams held a 68-25 record, two NCAA Tournament appearances and an NIT appearance in the three years he spent at VCU.

Baldwin Jr. became the focal point of the Penn State offense under Rhoades and excelled in the second half of the season with the departure of guard Kanye Clary.

He recorded double-digit scoring in 27 games this past season and tallied six games of 20-plus point scoring efforts.

Known for his high level of competitiveness and his grittiness defensively, Baldwin Jr. took the Big Ten conference by storm and displayed his impressive skillset.

Baldwin Jr. will return to the blue and white following a season in which they finished 16-17 overall and 9-11 in Big Ten conference play in the first year under Mike Rhoades.

He will lead a Nittany Lions team that returns five key players, has added an impressive four-man transfer class and has signed a Top-25 recruiting class for 2024.

The reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year will look to claim back-to-back Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year awards for the first time since Purdue’s Kenny Lowe did so during the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons.

He will also look to lead Penn State back to the NCAA Tournament after it reached the second round in 2023 and missed the tournament this season.

Mike Rhoades and his squad look primed and ready to go as the return of Baldwin Jr. completes the roster for this upcoming season.

Penn State will begin its summer workouts in the coming months and will have its schedule officially announced by the Big Ten conference later this year.

Thomas English is a third-year broadcast journalism major. To contact him, email tfe5082@psu.edu.