Ace Baldwin Jr. Explained

Adrian Tyrone "Ace" Baldwin Jr. (born June 7, 2001) is an American college basketball player for the Penn State Nittany Lions of the Big Ten Conference. He previously played for the VCU Rams.

Early life and high school career

Baldwin grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and attended Saint Frances Academy.^[1] His nickname, "Ace", was given to him as a baby, a reference to the film Paid in Full.^[2] He was named the Metro Player of the Year after averaging 14 points, six assists, four rebounds, and four steals per game during his junior season.^[3] Baldwin repeated as the co-Player of the Year as a senior.^[4] He was rated a four-star recruit and committed to playing college basketball for VCU over offers from Virginia, Villanova, Georgetown, Maryland, Kansas State, and Seton Hall.^[5]

College career

Baldwin started all 26 of the VCU Rams' games during his freshman season and averaged 6.7 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game.^{[6] [7]} Following a 19-7 regular season, Baldwin's VCU team clinched an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament, but forfeited following a COVID-19 outbreak on the team.^[8]

The start to Baldwin's sophomore season was delayed due to a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in the offseason.^[9] He returned in December and was named second-team All-Atlantic 10 Conference after averaging 11.4 points, 5.5 assists, and 2.5 steals per game.^[10]

As a junior, Baldwin averaged 12.7 points, 5.8 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. On February 3, 2023, Baldwin notched a career high 37 points in a 73-65 victory over Saint Louis.^[11] On March 12, 2023, Baldwin scored 16 points and notched 7 assists in the Atlantic 10 Championship game, in which VCU defeated Dayton 68-56. He scored 13 points in his first and only NCAA Tournament game, a 63-51 loss to Saint Mary's.^[12]

He was named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year, and first-team All-Atlantic 10.^[13] Baldwin entered the NCAA transfer portal after the season following the departure of VCU head coach Mike Rhoades.^[14]

On April 9, 2023, Baldwin announced that he would be transferring to Penn State for his senior season, joining his former coach Mike Rhoades.^[15] As a senior, Baldwin averaged 14.2 points, 6.0 assists, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.7 steals per game.^[16] On January 10, 2024, Baldwin set a career-high and tied a Penn State record with eight steals in a 76-72 loss to Northwestern.^[17] Following the regular season, Baldwin was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and a semifinalist for the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year.^[18]

Career statistics

College

|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21| style="text-align:left;"| VCU| 26 || 26 || 29.9 || .372 || .260 || .769 || 3.2 || 4.4 || 2.1 || .0 || 6.7|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2021–22| style="text-align:left;"| VCU| 24 || 24 || 33.5 || .417 || .413 || .743 || 3.5 || 5.5 || 2.5 || .2 || 11.4|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2022–23| style="text-align:left;"| VCU| 30 || 30 || 34.9 || .421 || .342 || .795 || 2.9 || 5.8 || 2.2 || .1 || 12.7|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2023–24| style="text-align:left;"| Penn State

|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career| 80 || 80 || 32.8 || .408 || .347 || .774 || 3.2 || 5.2 || 2.3 || .1 || 10.4

External links

• Penn State Nittany Lions bio
• VCU Rams bio

Notes and References

1. Web site: Adrian 'Ace' Baldwin leads No. 2 St. Frances over No. 1 Mount Saint Joseph, 81–65, for 3rd straight BCL crown. Baltimore Sun. March 1, 2020. March 17, 2023.
2. Web site: Johnson, Baldwin Jr. discuss best part of game day. NBC Sports. November 14, 2023.
3. Web site: 2018–19 All-Metro boys basketball Player of the Year: Adrian Baldwin, St. Frances. Baltimore Sun. April 3, 2019. March 17, 2023.
4. Web site: Players of the year: Adrian Baldwin & Justin Lewis. Baltimore Sun. March 31, 2020. March 17, 2023.
5. Web site: Point guard Adrian 'Ace' Baldwin commits to VCU, becoming first piece of important 2020 recruiting class. Richmond Times-Dispatch. April 14, 2019. March 17, 2023.
6. Web site: Players with Baltimore ties in the 2021 NCAA basketball tournaments. Baltimore Sun. March 18, 2021. March 17, 2023.
7. Web site: No. 1 Baldwin aces assists for VCU Rams. Richmond Free Press. February 18, 2021. March 17, 2023.
8. Web site: Forde . Pat . 2021-03-20 . 'It's Brutal': VCU's Forfeit a Gut Punch to March Madness . 2024-04-14 . Sports Illustrated . en-us.
9. Web site: VCU's Ace Baldwin, recovering from Achilles injury, returns to live action in practice. Richmond Times-Dispatch. December 3, 2021. March 17, 2023.
10. Web site: With Ace Baldwin Jr. orchestrating, VCU takes opener. Richmond Times-Dispatch. November 8, 2022. March 17, 2023.
11. Web site: 2023-02-03 . BALDWIN TORCHES BILLIKENS FOR 37, RAMS TAKE A-10 LEAD . 2024-04-14 . Virginia Commonwealth University . en.
12. Web site: Ace Baldwin Jr. Career Game Log . 2024-04-14 . College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com . en.
13. Web site: VCU's Baldwin named A-10 Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year. Will. Gonzalez. WRIC.com. March 7, 2023. March 17, 2023.
14. Web site: Rams star Ace Baldwin, numerous VCU teammates enter the transfer portal. Lane. Casadonte. WTVR.com. March 30, 2023. April 3, 2023.
15. Web site: Former VCU guard Ace Baldwin transferring to Penn State . . April 9, 2023.
16. Web site: Ace Baldwin Jr. College Stats . 2024-04-14 . College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com . en.
17. Web site: Jones . Ben . 2024-01-11 . 5 Takeaways From Penn State's Loss to Northwestern . 2024-04-14 . StateCollege.com . en-US.
18. Web site: 2024-03-13 . Baldwin Jr. Named Semifinalist for Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year . 2024-04-14 . Penn State Athletics . en.