VCU's Ace Baldwin, Jr., the A-10 Player of the Year, Transferring to Penn State

Baldwin, a three-year starting point guard and defensive catalyst, joins coach Mike Rhoades' new Nittany Lions roster.

Penn State men's basketball coach Mike Rhoades has landed his first major transfer player in Ace Baldwin, Jr., whom he coached formerly at VCU.

Baldwin, the defending Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, announced his decision Sunday to transfer to Penn State, marking a huge step in the Nittany Lions' roster rebuild. The 6-1 point guard led VCU in minutes and points (12.7 per game) last season and also was the A-10 defensive player of the year. He's a veteran of Rhoades' system and will be the first building block of Penn State's new roster.

Why did Rhoades want to bring Baldwin to Penn State? The former VCU coach explained how important Baldwin was to the Rams during the NCAA Tournament.

"He's the head of our snake. He's the competitive leader in our program. He's that type of point guard that he makes an impact," Rhoades said before VCU's first-round game against Saint Mary's. "I've always said that, from a long time ago, the best players, not because of their stat line, are the ones that impact winning in so many ways. The greatest compliment you can get in a team sport is you make those around you better. That's Ace on a daily basis."

RELATED: How Mike Rhoades will attack the transfer portal at Penn State

Baldwin, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining, was a 4-star recruit at Baltimore's St. Frances Academy. according to Rivals and ESPN. He received offers from Villanova, Virginia, Maryland and Kansas State, among others. Rhoades scored a huge recruiting victory in bringing him to VCU.

Baldwin was a three-year starter at VCU, including as a sophomore after he recovered from an injury. Baldwin was named all-conference both seasons and, as a sophomore, ranked third nationally in steals per game (2.54).

Baldwin instinctively understands Rhoades' defensive system, a vital starting point for Rhoades' first team at Penn State. The point guard brings other key qualities to the Lions as well.

"His competitive spirit, his competitive fire. He doesn't like to lose," Rhoades said. "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 you want 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.

"He won't let guys quit. That's just who he is. He was always like that. St. Frances Academy is a great high school program. He's a point guard from Baltimore. We've seen a lot of those guys do well in college basketball and beyond that. Ace is one of those guys."

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