One of Penn State basketball’s newest stars is starting the year on the national radar for a national award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag], who followed new head coach Mike Rhoades to Penn State from VCU by way of the transfer portal, was among the 20 players named on this year’s watch list for the Bob Cousy Award, which goes to the nation’s top point guard.
“The point guards that have been named to the 2024 Bob Cousy Award Watch List truly embody the skills and characteristics that made Bob Cousy the ‘Houdini of the Hardwood,’” John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, said in a released statement. “We look forward to watching their leadership and playmaking abilities take center stage and working alongside Bob Cousy and the selection committee to narrow down the watch list throughout the season.”
Baldwin was a two-time All-Atlantic 10 pick and the 2023 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and the conference’s defensive player of the year.
Baldwin is one of three Big Ten players on the Bob Cousy Award watch list going into the upcoming college basketball season. Jahmir Young of Maryland and Boo Buie of Northwestern are the two other Big Ten players to appear on the watch list.
Markquis Nowell of Kansas State was last year’s Bob Cousey Award winner. Ayo Dosunmu of Illinois was the most recent winner from the Big Ten, doing so in 2021.
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