BREAKING: Penn State basketball lands top transfer portal target

State College, PA — Less than a month on the job, Mike Rhoades faces the arduous task of rebuilding his roster at Penn State. But that task got a little easier Sunday, as VCU star Ace Baldwin committed to Penn State basketball. Baldwin was expected to end up in Happy Valley essentially since he entered the transfer portal on March 30. A mainstay on VCU’s roster the last three seasons, Baldwin now looks to become the center of Mike Rhoades’s new-look Nittany Lions.

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— Buttons Son (@yeah_ace3) April 9, 2023

Penn State basketball lands VCU star Ace Baldwin from transfer portal

Baldwin stood out on a VCU team that made the NCAA tournament in two of the last three seasons. A former three-star prospect out of Baltimore in the class of 2020, Baldwin’s best season as a Ram was this past year. In 2022-23, Baldwin averaged 12.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game. This was good enough to win the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year award. Baldwin also fits Mike Rhoades’s gritty defensive philosophy. In addition to winning the conference’s Player of the Year, Ace Baldwin earned A-10 Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Mike Rhoades adds first key piece to new-look roster

Baldwin has been expected to be a Nittany Lion since he entered the transfer portal. 247 Sports entered three crystal ball predictions for Baldwin to land at Penn State the day after he announced his intentions to transfer. On3 also predicted Baldwin would transfer to Penn State with 100% confidence. 

While landing Ace Baldwin is a massive first win for Penn State basketball, Mike Rhoades still has plenty of work to do. Even after Baldwin’s commitment, the Nittany Lions have 10 scholarship roster spots available next season. Rhoades has expressed the importance he will place on building a roster that will be viable long-term. But, to have a functioning roster for next year, Mike Rhoades will have to hit the transfer portal hard this offseason. 

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