Five-star forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. has decided to take the path seldom traveled as he continues his basketball journey to the college ranks.
Instead of taking his talents to a blue blood program like Duke or Georgetown, a former powerhouse crawling its way out of the doldrums under program legend Patrick Ewing, Baldwin Jr. is staying home to play for a person near and dear to him. The 6-foot-9, 190-pound small forward committed to play for his father, Patrick Baldwin Sr., at Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Wednesday morning. Baldwin Jr. is the program’s highest-ranked commit of all-time.
Duke was Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s main competition throughout Baldwin Jr.’s recruitment and a late push by Georgetown to land the Wisconsin native was ultimately for naught.
“Baldwin is a highly skilled and talented prospect and should have a major impact playing in the Horizon League,” 247Sports’ Travis Branham said of Baldwin. “He possesses great size for the position, long arms, a sturdy frame and his athleticism has continued to improve.
“Baldwin’s biggest asset lies in his size coupled with his ability to make shots from three with a very smooth stroke but he does bring more than that to the table. He possesses a high feel and IQ for the game, is a capable scorer off the bounce and is an underrated passer for the position.
“As a prospect, Baldwin possesses a very high floor and should help the Panthers come back from a 10-12 season this past year.”
247Sports ranks Baldwin Jr. as the No. 4 overall recruit in the class of 2022.