Tag: Ace Baldwin

Penn State basketball officially adds two VCU transfers to roster

Penn State has officially announced the signings of two basketball ransfers from VCU

Penn State basketball’s roster officially welcomed the additions of two players choosing to follow [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] from VCU to Penn State on Tuesday. Penn State announced the signings of [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Kern[/autotag], both ending up at Penn State after entering the transfer portal following their time at VCU.

Baldwin was named the Atlantic-10 player of the year and the conference’s defensive player of the year for the 2022-23 season. He quickly became the top target for Rhoades in the transfer portal given their familiarity with each other at VCU, and Baldwin’s move to Penn State was the first addition to the depleted roster under Rhoades since the coaching change. Kern followed with his commitment just a few days later as Penn State quickly took advantage of the transfer portal.

“We are excited to have Ace in our basketball family,” Rhoades said in a released statement. “He is a proven successful college basketball player, point guard and leader. We can’t wait to get him on campus and get to work.”

“We’re really happy to have Nick join us in Happy Valley,” Rhoades said about Kern in his released statement. “He brings so many things to our program both on and off the court and is another great fit for our basketball family here at Penn State.”

Baldwin and Kern each have two years of eligibility to use at Penn State following their time at VCU.

Penn State still has plenty of room to fill a roster with help from the transfer portal, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see another VCU player follow Baldwin and Kern.

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Jameel Brown announces he’s staying at Penn State

Penn State basketball’s roster gets a boost with Jameel Brown withdrawing his name from the transfer portal

It’s been a busy few weeks surrounding the Penn State basketball program with [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] at the helm. His first priority was getting players onto the roster so that they could field a team, let alone a competitive one.

However, pieces started falling into place quickly when Rhoades was able to tap into his relationships with his former players at VCU. He was able get two of his VCU players committed to Penn State through the transfer portal, headlined by [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag]. A few days ago, Rhoades was then able to keep current Penn State guard, [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag], in the program.

Rhoades was able to do that again, securing a commitment from [autotag]Jameel Brown[/autotag] who had previously entered the transfer portal after Micah Shrewsberry left for Notre Dame.

It was always a possibility that Brown would return back to Penn State. He’s a Pennsylvania native who played his high school basketball at Westtown, roughly three hours from State College.

He was a three-star recruit in the class of 2022, ranked as the 143rd-best player in the class and the fifth-best player in Pennsylvania according to 247Sports.

Brown is a 6’4″ combo guard who didn’t receive much playing time his freshman year. He appeared in 14 games, averaging 0.9 points and 1.0 rebounds per game. Because the roster was so senior laden last year, there weren’t a lot of minutes to give Brown.

He projects to being a really good defender at the college level. His length and size should allow him to guard positions one through three. That will make Brown and ideal fit for the defensive system that Rhoades likes to employ. Having long and athletic players is what worked for Rhoades at VCU and Brown has the body type to provide impact for this team.

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Penn State basketball in final 5 of 2023 four-star forward

Could Penn State basketball beat out these four schools for a four-star recruit?

As it stands right now, there are zero players coming to Penn State out of the class of 2023. Originally three players had committed to the program but asked for their NLI release after the head coaching change.

When [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] took over the job, the program was about as baron as one could get. Graduates, transfer portal entrants and decommitments left Penn State with two scholarship players for the upcoming season at one point in time.

While the transfer portal can take away from a program, it can also get great talent into a program quickly. Penn State is familiar with the benefits it can provide after last season.

As expected, Rhoades targeted bringing some of his VCU players with him to State College. [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] was the first to commit, followed by [autotag]Nicholas Kern[/autotag] who committed the other day.

However, it looks like Penn State is in the running to land a player from the class of 2023.

Four-star forward from California, [autotag]Brady Dunlap[/autotag], recently cut his list down to five schools. Originally committed to Notre Dame, Dunlap asked for his NLI release in January after Mike Brey announced he would be stepping down as head coach following the season.

The other schools on his list are North Carolina, Villanova, St. Johns and Nebraska.

On3’s industry rankings have him listed as the 154th-ranked player in the 2023 class, but ESPN has him 80th in their top 100 list.

Dunlap is a 6’7″ forward who can shoot from range. That is his biggest strength and something that could translate to the next level right away if on the floor.

When speaking with Joe Tipton of On3 about Penn State he said, “Coach Rhoades has been great. He has worked very hard and has made an impression on me and my family. The whole staff seems to be a family along with the a winning culture. The school itself is very enticing with the history of athletic success. I can’t wait to visit.”

Dunlap has upcoming visits scheduled with every school except for Penn State at the moment, but it looks like he won’t make his decision until he visits the program in person.

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Kanye Clary is staying at Penn State

No transfer portal needed for this Penn State basketball player to decide he’s staying put.

After some big transfer portal wins, new head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] just added another piece to the puzzle.

Sophomore point guard [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] has announced that he will be staying at Penn State for the upcoming season. Rhoades and his staff prioritized keeping Clary in the program and was able to make that happen.

Originally a three-star recruit coming into college, Clary was a part of the highest rated recruiting class in Penn State basketball history. Other players out of that class entered their name in the transfer portal when previous coach Micah Shrewsberry left for Notre Dame.

Onward Sports reported on Twitter that Clary was in attendance for Rhoades’ introductory press conference back in late March and he never put his name in the transfer portal list.

Clary was never officially recruited by Rhoades and VCU when attending high school Massanutten Military Academy in Virginia. However, that didn’t prevent him from staying at Penn State during this coaching change.

In his freshman season, he appeared in 32 games and started zero. In those games he averaged 3.7 points and a little under one rebound and assist per game. He was playing meaningful minutes at the end of last season, coming off the bench during the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament run.

Clary is a lightning quick athlete who can break down the defense by attacking off the dribble. He should be a good fit for the aggressive defensive system that Rhoades will bring to Penn State. With so little scholarship players currently on the roster, he will be getting much more minutes next year.

Rhoades was able to get his former guard from VCU, [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag], to follow him to Penn State as well. Baldwin is a former three-star who turned into the Atlantic-10 Player of the Year last season and should be able to provide mentorship to Clary as he heads into his sophomore season.

The roster for the upcoming 2023-24 season is slowly coming together, with some more potential transfer news possibly coming soon.

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Penn State lands second transfer from VCU

Penn State added another VCU player form the transfer portal as it looks to fill its roster.

It’s been a good month on the rebuilding front for Penn State basketball so far. Coaching changes always bring roster turnover, especially in the transfer era of today. The Nittany Lions were already facing a major overhaul with the number of seniors graduating but were dealt a big blow with their incoming freshman NLI releases and current players hitting the portal.

New coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] is looking to field his roster by hitting the transfer portal.

Prior to landing his former guard at VCU, [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag], Penn State only had two players on scholarship entering the 2023-24 season. It seemed like a foregone conclusion Rhoades would be targeting the VCU players who he recruited and had major success within the Atlantic-10 conference.

Besides Baldwin, two other former VCU players have been linked to Penn State with Jalen Deloach visiting State College this weekend. 247Sports released a crystal ball prediction that had Nicholas Kern going to Penn State.

It looks like that prediction has come true, with Kern announcing his commitment to the Nittany Lions on Wednesday.

The 6’6″ forward is a former three-star recruit who was a part of VCU’s 2021 recruiting class with Deloach. Kern started in 19 games last year for VCU while averaging 5.3 points and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 62 percent overall. In his last outing, he scored five points and secured two rebounds in VCU’s Round of 64 loss to Saint Mary’s.

Overall, Kern Jr. has appeared in 66 games in two seasons at VCU under Rhoades. Before he played at VCU he was from St. Louis and was a highly sought-after prospect with offers from DePaul, Saint Louis, and TCU as the notable schools looking at him. He was the No. 32 small forward in the 2021 class and the No. 3 recruit in Missouri, according to 247Sports.

In high school out of Missouri, Kern was the player of the year as a senior after leading Vashon to a state championship with 18.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. While he hasn’t been able to provide the same type of production in the college game, he has grown in other areas.

The numbers are not eyepopping, but this is a good get for Rhoades as he starts building up a program to try and compete this upcoming season. Kern is now the second player landed through the transfer portal and it’s clear the team will be up of a majority of transfer players if Rhoades can’t convince players from last year to return.

Penn State had a successful season last year by getting impact players through the portal, so they’ve proven they can compete by fielding a roster that way.

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Top basketball transfer portal targeting visiting Penn State this weekend

Penn State set to host VCU transfer target this weekend

The first task for new head coach Mike Rhoades is to field a roster for the 2023-2024 season. With the entire 2023 recruiting class asking for their NLI releases and a number of players entering the transfer portal, the current roster is barren.

He got a big victory when Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag], decided to follow him from VCU and come to Penn State.

Now, Rhoades has his sights set on reuniting with another one of his former players in State College.

Jalen Deloach is one of the top targets for Rhoades and his staff. After entering the transfer portal, he quickly cut his list of top schools down to six on April 4th saying his announcement would be coming soon.

Originally, Deloach was scheduled to visit Indiana this weekend, but has pushed back his visit due to head coach Mike Woodson’s knee surgery.

He will now be visiting Penn State this weekend instead.

Deloach is a 6’9″ power forward who averaged 9.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game in 24.5 minutes of playing time. He started every game but two last season.

Originally a three-star recruit, Deloach is a versatile and athletic big man who would be thrust into a major role immediately at Penn State. Considering his familiarity with Rhoades and the systems that he’ll run, this would be an ideal landing spot for both parties.

Other schools on his list include Florida State, San Diego State, Miami, Indiana, and VCU. He is planning to visit Indiana even after his visit to Penn State this weekend. Deloach also met with Florida State in early April.

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Penn State basketball gets an assistant coaching shakeup

Penn State basketball undergoes sudden coaching staff changes

Following the departure of Micah Shrewsberry to Notre Dame and the subsequent NLI releases and players entering the transfer portal, Penn State basketball got back on track by hiring [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] away from VCU. He brought a lot of his old staff with him from Richmond, Virginia to State College and seemed set to hit the ground running with the culture his staff has established.

Unfortunately, that was short lived.

J.D. Byers has been a long-time assistant under Rhoades at all three of his previous coaching stops. He was there at the Division 3 level before heading to Rice and VCU with Rhoades. Byers was set to follow him to Penn State as an assistant before deciding to take the assistant job at Virginia Tech on Tuesday.

Byers’ wife, Marci, is the head coach of the women’s volleyball program at Virginia Tech.

“My family and I are thrilled for J.D.,” Rhoades released in a statement about the move. “J.D. has been on my staff for 12 years and this move was too good of an opportunity for him to pass up as he now gets to be together as a family with his wife, Marci, and their two daughters.”

Filling the assistant role will be Jimmy Martelli, who was previously brought on to be the Chief of Staff. Brandon Rozzell will now be the Director of Recruiting for Penn State basketball.

Martelli is the son of legendary basketball coach Phil Martelli and has eight years of previous experience as an assistant coach on the sidelines. He coached under Rhoades in 2006-2007 while at Randolph-Macon.

Rozzell spent the last two seasons at VCU as the Director of Student-Athlete Development. After graduating from VCU with almost 1,000 points scored, he spent 10 years playing professional basketball overseas.

The biggest win so far in the Rhoades era was accomplished by getting one of the top transfer portal players in [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] to commit to Penn State. Baldwin previously played for Rhoades at VCU, where he was the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year last season.

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Best photos of new Penn State basketball transfer addition Ace Baldwin

Check out these images of Penn State’s big transfer addition, Ace Baldwin.

Penn State basketball’s roster got a big boost out of the transfer portal when Adrian “Ace” Baldwin announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions. Baldwin, the 2022-23 A-10 player of the year with the VCU Rams, will reunite with his former head coach at VCU, [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag], as Rhoades begins putting together his first roster at Penn State.

The addition of [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] to the Penn State roster was a much-needed one after the roster had been decimated by a flurry of roster changes and transfer portal declarations. The hope is Baldwin’s commitment to Penn State opens the door for more quality transfers to keep the Nittany Lions with their heads above the Big Ten waters under a new regime.

Here are some of the best photos available of Ace Baldwin from his successful time at VCU.

Twitter reacts to Penn State basketball landing Ace Baldwin from transfer portal

College basketball Twitter reacts to Penn State’s first major transfer of the Mike Rhoades era

Penn State men’s basketball head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] scored his first major victory with building his roster in Happy Valley on Easter. As many basketball insiders and recruiting experts predicted, Rhoades managed to bring one of his best players from VCU with him as [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] announced he committed to Penn State out of the transfer portal.

The addition of Baldwin is a major one for Penn State and Rhodes as the Penn State basketball roster has been devastated by departures and players entering the transfer portal to weigh their options for next season. Picking up the A-10 player of the year and the A-10 defensive player of the year is a major building block for the new head coach.

Here is how Twitter reacted to the big transfer news for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State lands former VCU star Ace Baldwin out of transfer portal

Penn State basketball picked up a major commitment out of the transfer portal with Ace Baldwin.

One benefit that was hoped for by fans and media alike was that new Penn State coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] would bring with him some talent from VCU. The new coach and his staff wasted no time in securing a big transfer out of the portal from his former team.

[autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag], the reigning Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and defensive player of the year, is leaving VCU and heading with his coach to State College. He brings with him a stat line that is made up of 12.7 PPG, 5.8 APG, and 2.9 RPG. That complete offensive production s of course accompanied by his defensive prowess meaning that as Penn State loses a do-it-all player like [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] they gain one in Baldwin.

Baldwin was the star and key component of a VCU team that went 27-8 and made the NCAA Tournament this past season. Baldwin however couldn’t play in the tournament which played a part in their Round of 64 exit.

He was also a sought-after recruit coming out of high school as a three-star recruit. He had offers from Connecticut, DePaul, Georgetown, Kansas State, Maryland, Miami, Providence, Rhode Island, Rutgers, Seton Hall and TCU. He chose VCU at the time with the coaching staff at the time that is now in State College which is a major reason for his commitment to Penn State.

Baldwin will be expected to start for the Nittany Lions as they are set to lose four of five starters this coming year leaving Rhoades to utilize the portal to find starters and rotation players. Other VCU players such as Jayden Nunn, Nicholas Kern, Jalen DeLoach, and Jamir Watkins remain in the transfer portal with Penn State expected to pursue them.

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