UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State men’s basketball graduate student Ace Baldwin Jr. has been named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year for the second-straight year, while Baldwin Jr. and Yanic Konan Niederhauser both earned All-Big Ten honorable mention honors and Puff Johnson was named Penn State’s recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, as announced by the conference office Tuesday afternoon.
Ace Baldwin Jr. – Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (coaches & media), All-Defensive Team
Baldwin Jr. becomes just the sixth Big Ten player to earn Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors in two-straight years, and the first player from Penn State to earn the award in back-to-back years. He is one of just three Penn State players to be named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, following Josh Reaves in 2019 and Calvin Booth in 1998. The point guard was also an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection by both the conference coaches and media and earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Defensive team.
Baldwin Jr. wrapped up the regular season leading the Big Ten and ranking 10th in the country in steals per game, averaging 2.37 steals per contest. The Baltimore, Md. native is the leader of a Penn State defense that ranks second in the Big Ten in steals per game (8.1) and third in turnovers forced per game (14.06). He was one of 15 players in the country, and the only player from the Big Ten, named to the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year Watchlist in February.
Baldwin Jr. finished the regular season averaging 14.0 points per game, 7.1 assists per game and 2.37 steals per contest, making him one of just two players in the country to average 14.0+ points, 7.0+ assists and 2.0+ steals per contest. He is one of just five Big Ten players in the last 32 years (since 1992-93) to finish a season averaging 14.0+ points, 6.0+ assists and 2.0+ steals per game in a season, and has now done so in back-to-back seasons.
The Nittany Lion standout also ranks third nationally with a 92.7 free throw percentage and sixth in Division I with his 7.1 assists per game. His 7.1 assists per game is a program record for single-season assist average, while his 213 assists this season is the second-most in a single season in school history. He was named a top 10 finalist for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award earlier this season, in addition to landing a spot on the Oscar Robertson Trophy National Player of the Year Midseason Watch List.
Baldwin Jr. is Division I’s active career leader in steals (342) and his 831 career assists rank third amongst active Division I players. His 342 career steals are tied for 15th most all-time by an NCAA Division I player.
He is the only active Division I player and one of just five Division I players since the 1947-48 season (77 years) with 1,700+ career points (1,716), 800+ career assists (831) and 300+ career steals (342).
Baldwin Jr. wraps up his standout collegiate career as a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year (2024, 2025), two-time All-Big Ten selection (2024, 2025), 2023 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, 2023 Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year, and a two-time All-Atlantic 10 pick (2022, 2023).
Yanic Konan Niederhauser – All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (media)
Konan Niederhauser earned All-Big Ten honorable mention honors as selected by the conference media following his strong first season in the Blue & White.
The seven-foot forward wrapped up the regular season averaging 12.9 points and a team-best 6.3 rebounds per game, in addition to a Big Ten-best mark of 2.31 blocks per game that ranks 14th amongst Division I players. Konan Niederhauser also led the Nittany Lions with a 61.1 field goal percentage this season.
The Switzerland native tallied 19 double-digit scoring efforts, four double-doubles and three 20-plus point games in his first season in Happy Valley.
Konan Niederhauser transferred to Penn State ahead of the 2024-25 season and enjoyed immediate development under the Nittany Lion staff, seeing jumps of +7.8 points per game, +3.1 rebounds per game and +9.7 FG% in his first season in the Blue & White compared to his career average through his two years at Northern Illinois.
Puff Johnson – Big Ten Sportsmanship Award Honoree
Johnson was named Penn State's recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for the second-straight season. The sportsmanship award is given to student-athletes from each Big Ten school who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. All recipients must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
A two-time team captain, Johnson has been a key culture driver and consummate teammate for the Nittany Lions. He was putting together a career-best season this year with 10.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game before suffering a season-ending injury in January, but remained a constant leader for the Nittany Lions throughout the remainder of the season.
The 2024-25 Penn State men’s basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.