Mike Rhoades and Ace Baldwin, Jr. Bring Their Bond to Penn State

'It's bigger than basketball with coach,' Baldwin said of his relationship with Rhoades.

Gregory Fisher/USA Today Sports

Initially, Ace Baldwin Jr. was hurt that Mike Rhoades would leave VCU for Penn State. Baldwin had built a career there, was the defending Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and wasn't interested in playing somewhere else. The school had become home, and Rhoades had become a confidant, particularly during a difficult time in his life.

But then Rhoades pitched Baldwin to join him at Penn State and help build a program. Starting over somewhere else meant huge change. Staying did as well, and Baldwin chose the change that kept him close to Rhoades.

"At that time, I didn't want to leave VCU," Baldwin said. "I was hurt. I had been there three years and I loved it there. But coach was talking to me about coming here and going to another level. I just wanted to go with him and be loyal. It's bigger than basketball with coach."

It's no surprise that, upon taking the Penn State job in March, Rhoades made a very quick call to Baldwin, his point guard at VCU. Baldwin was the conference player of the year and defensive player of the year following a season in which he led the Rams in scoring, assists and steals. Baldwin ranked among the top 20 players nationally in assists and steals and fronted a defense that ranked 15th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to Ken Pomeroy.

For Rhoades, bringing Baldwin to Penn State was an obvious move. During the NCAA Tournament, Rhoades praised Baldwin as the "head of our snake," the "competitive leader of our program" and a point guard who makes an impact. What coach wouldn't want that kind of player to join him at the next job? But for Rhoades, the reasons ran much deeper.

"My relationship with Ace goes well past basketball now," Rhoades said.

How Mike Rhoades helped Ace Baldwin through a difficult time

In early 2019, when he was a junior at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Baldwin's father Adrian was diagnosed with leukemia. Baldwin (his given name is Adrian Jr.) called his father "my everything." In July 2019, Adrian Baldwin passed away. The younger Baldwin considered giving up basketball as a senior but decided to play for his dad. Baldwin led St. Frances to a third consecutive Baltimore Catholic League title and was named the All-Metro co-player of the year. All along, Rhoades, who had been recruiting Baldwin to VCU, called often.

"He was always there when my dad was sick," Baldwin said. "He called my phone every day making sure I was good. When I need somebody to talk to, I can talk to coach."

Their relationship blossomed at VCU, where Baldwin was a three-year starting point guard. He was named to the A-10 all-freshman team in 2021 and second-team all-conference the following year. Baldwin guided the Rams to 68 wins and two NCAA Tournament appearances in his three seasons. Moreover, he was the team's beating heart.

"The greatest compliment you can get in a team sport is you make those around you better. That's Ace on a daily basis," Rhoades said at the NCAA Tournament. "His competitive spirit, his competitive fire. He doesn't like to lose. He's emotional in a good way and he pulls guys along. I think the one thing that Ace does better than everyone that we know is he gives out confidence to his teammates, competitive confidence to his teammates. As much as a coach wants to pump your players up, when a teammate, when the best player on the team is giving out that confidence to their teammates, everybody plays better. Everybody plays hard. Everybody plays the right way. You can't quit. He won't let guys quit. That's just who he is."

Baldwin, a natural leader on the court, said he needed time to gain his voice at Penn State, whose roster includes nine transfer players. But he's getting there. "Now I'm vocal," he said. "We've got a better bond." That bond began, and continues, with Rhoades.

"We've won a lot of games together," Rhoades said, "but I want to see that dude succeed in life. Every phase of his life, he's improved on since he's been with us."

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