ICYMI: Multiple Penn State basketball players take home Big Ten honors

While the 2023-24 season may not have played out as expected for Mike Rhoades and the Penn State basketball program, several Nittany Lions had strong individual performances on the court. Now, the Penn State standouts are being recognized for their efforts. Headlined by Ace Baldwin, multiple Nittany Lions were honored by the Big Ten in the conference’s awards this season.

Ace Baldwin wins Defensive Player of the Year

Star guard Ace Baldwin took home the most honors out of the Penn State basketball players recognized, being named third-team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media. He was also recognized as a first-team all-defense honoree and the Defensive Player of the Year for the conference.

This is the second straight year that Ace Baldwin has taken home a conference DPOY award, winning the honor last season for VCU in the Atlantic 10. Baldwin put together a defensive masterclass this season, averaging a career-high 2.7 steals a game and spearheading a highly disruptive Nittany Lion defense. Baldwin consistently gave opposing Big Ten offenses fits, taking games over with his defense. He had three games with five steals and an eight-steal game against Northwestern.

However, it wasn’t just the defense of Ace Baldwin that earned recognition. There were many questions about how Baldwin’s game would translate to the Big Ten, and he put those questions to bed. Baldwin averaged career highs in points and assists per game with 14.3 and six, respectively.

The Penn State basketball star rose to the occasion and took on the responsibility of leading the team on both ends of the floor. This effort became even more significant after the dismissal of Kanye Clary from the program, leading Baldwin to play almost every minute of game time down the stretch. Mike Rhoades could not have asked for much more out of its premier transfer in his first season with the Nittany Lions. 

Other Penn State basketball standouts take home Big Ten honors

Alongside Ace Baldwin, Penn State basketball had multiple other players be recognized for their efforts on the court this season. Qudus Wahab, Nick Kern, and Zach Hicks all earned All-Big Ten honorable mentions from the coaches. 

Wahab turned in a career performance for the Nittany Lions in his final collegiate season, averaging 9.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks, while shooting a career-high 62.8% shooting from the field. Looking more comfortable than ever, he was able to score efficiently and defend at a higher level than we have seen in years. There were questions about Wahab coming into Penn State after his previous Big Ten stint at Maryland did not go as planned, but the transfer answered the call and was a steady presence for the Nittany Lions all year. 

Nick Kern was the other transfer from VCU that really started to thrive as the year went on. The junior averaged career highs across the board with 8.8 points, four rebounds, 1.5 assists, and one steal a game. Kern provided athleticism to the Penn State defense all year. But as the season progressed, Kern started getting more on-ball opportunities and excelled. His standout performance of the year came in Penn State’s upset over Illinois, where he had 22 points to help power the Nittany Lions to a dramatic last-minute comeback. 

Zach Hicks came to Happy Valley by way of Temple. Expected to be the Nittany Lions’ shooter, Hicks put things together near the end of the season after an up-and-down year. He averaged 7.9 points and 3.8 rebounds while starting every game for Penn State basketball. Shooting a disappointing 32.6% from deep this year, Hicks was able to rise to the occasion in wins over Indiana and Illinois. All told, the year should give Hicks some momentum to build on heading into 2024-25.

Finally, Puff Johnson was named the Big Ten Sportsmanship honoree for Penn State basketball. Johnson was a team leader all year, and accepted anything he was asked to do. Whether it was starting or playing a role off the bench, Johnson was the ultimate professional and a major reason for Penn State’s positive start under year one of Mike Rhoades.

Mike Rhoades looking to make a tournament run

The season isn’t quite over yet as Penn State basketball looks to go on a run in the Big Ten Tournament starting on Wednesday. Tipoff against Michigan will be at 9 p.m. on Peacock. The Nittany Lions bested the Wolverines 79-73 at the Palestra in Philadelphia in early January.

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