The Mike Rhoades period of Penn State males's basketball formally started Sunday afternoon with the commitment of the newly-hired head coach's first portal prospect.

Ace Baldwin, the 2023 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year as well as celebrity VCU point guard, followed Rhoades to Happy Valley after a masterful 2022-23 season including a conference championship and also NCAA Tournament look.

Via three periods in Richmond with the Rams, the 6' 1 ″ point guard averaged 10.4 points, 5.2 helps, as well as 3.2 rebounds per game, while staying a sturdy factor on both ends of the court. Not only was he the Atlantic 10 Gamer of the Year but Baldwin also was referred to as the Atlantic 10 Defensive Gamer of the Year and also ended up being simply the 4th gamer to make both honors in the same year.

Baldwin boasted 3 celebrities as a high school hire out of Baltimore, Maryland, in the Class of 2020. The point player got offers from Rutgers, Divine Superintendence, TCU, Georgetown, as well as Maryland, to name a few, however Baldwin picked Rhoades' program on April 13, 2019, and also stuck with the Rams for the next 3 years.

Rhoades lost no time at all obtaining the newbie associated with his fresher season and also started Baldwin in all 26 of VCU's 2020-21 outings. Baldwin averaged simply under 30 minutes per game and also instantly became a cornerstone in the Rams' turning.

Baldwin tore down a single-game career-high 15 factors against Saint Louis in February 2021 but kept a consistent 6.7 points-per-game clip lasting with the remainder of the period. He was called to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team and led VCU in steals per video game, while also ranking second in the meeting in steals per game.

In his student project, Baldwin almost increased his averages from his freshman period despite an Achilles ligament injury that stopped him from seeing the flooring in the opening video games of VCU's 2021-22 schedule. Complying with surgical procedure on his Achilles over the summertime, Baldwin leapt back into regular-season play in early December and swiftly found himself right back in the starting schedule for the following 24-straight games.

Baldwin's adaptability paid dividends on both sides of the court given that the student became a harmful sharpshooter and also playmaker while leading the fee on the Rams' protective end, also. The second-year posted 11.4 factors, 5.5 aids, and 3.5 rebounds per game in his shortened period as well as took advantage of every min on the wood.

After his second season, Baldwin was named to the All-Atlantic 10 junior varsity and also rated 3rd in steals per video game across the country. He additionally led VCU in three-point conversions throughout the period, which bore witness Baldwin's ability for effectiveness.

In the 2nd game of VCU's newest campaign, Baldwin suffered a busted wrist as well as missed the complying with four video games. The junior underwent surgical procedure as well as recuperated 12 days later to eventually lead the Rams to an Atlantic 10 title and also NCAA Event appearance. Prior to that, though, Baldwin uploaded outrageous numbers, including a 37-point getaway versus Saint Louis in February and five three-point conversions versus La Salle in December.

On the whole, Baldwin's statistics stayed fairly similar to his sophomore year as he registered 12.7 factors, 5.8 helps, and 2.9 rebounds per video game throughout his equally reduced period.

After Rhoades' hiring at Penn State on March 29, Baldwin announced his entry right into the transfer website a day in the future March 30.

"I intend to give thanks to VCU RamNation for three extraordinary years of memories. We did some amazing things that will certainly forever stand in history," Baldwin wrote on Twitter. "I wish to give thanks to Coach Rhoades as well as the mentoring team for trusting in me to lead VCU's basketball program for the time that I was here I have actually chosen to enter my name into the transfer site to discover brand-new possibilities."

Baldwin stayed in the website for a week and a fifty percent, nevertheless, a lot of individuals anticipated his dedication to Rhoades and also succeeding dedication to Penn State. Around 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 9, Baldwin made his selection to commit to the Nittany Lions official.

The VCU flip will certainly serve as the very first building block of Rhoades' program as the newly-hired leader functions to designer depth and also acquire transfer portal skill in the coming weeks. Six of Baldwin's colleagues from VCU entered the transfer website after the information of Rhoades' separation from Richmond, so maybe a few even more Rams may comply with Baldwin's bring about Happy Valley.