SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Penn State men's basketball senior Ace Baldwin Jr. has been named a preseason top 20 finalist for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award, as announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Monday afternoon.
Named after Class of 1971 Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic and Holy Cross guard Bob Cousy, the annual honor, now in its 21st year, recognizes the top point guard in Division I men's college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
Baldwin Jr. enters his first season at Penn State after transferring from VCU to rejoin Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades. The Baltimore, Md. native put together three standout seasons at VCU as a two-time all-conference pick and the 2023 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.
Baldwin Jr. owns collegiate career marks of 829 points (10.4 ppg), 419 assists (5.2 apg) and 183 steals (2.3 spg). He averaged double-digit points during both his sophomore and junior seasons and led the Rams in assists in all three of his seasons at VCU, while guiding the Rams to a 68-25 record, two NCAA Tournaments and one NIT appearance through his three seasons at VCU.
Baldwin Jr. is coming off a 2022-23 season that saw him average 12.7 ppg, while ranking 15th nationally in assists per game (5.8) and 19th nationally in steals per game (2.23). The 2023 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, Baldwin Jr. was the catalyst for a VCU defense that ranked 15th nationally in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency metric last season.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds starting on Friday, October 27. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2024 Bob Cousy Award will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February, to just 5. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Cousy and the Hall of Fame's selection committee, where a winner will be selected.
The winner of the 2024 Bob Cousy Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Men's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Jerry West Award (Shooting Guard), Julius Erving Award (Small Forward), Karl Malone (Power Forward), and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center), in addition to the Women's Starting Five.
Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year – Preseason Top 20 Finalists
Ace Baldwin Jr. – Penn State
Boo Buie – Northwestern
DaJuan Harris – Kansas
DJ Wagner – Kentucky
Isaiah Collier – USC
Isaiah Stevens – Colorado State
Jahmir Young – Maryland
Jahvon Quinerly – Memphis
Jamal Shead – Houston
Jeremy Roach – Duke
Judah Mintz – Syracuse
Max Abmas – Texas
Nijel Pack – Miami (Fla.)
R.J. Davis – North Carolina
Ryan Nembhard – Gonzaga
Steve Ashworth – Creighton
Tristen Newton – Uconn
Tyler Kolek – Marquette
Wade Taylor IV – Texas A&M
Zakai Zeigler – Tennessee
