KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Penn State men’s basketball graduate student Ace Baldwin Jr. has been named second-team All-District by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, as announced by the NABC Tuesday morning.
Baldwin Jr. was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year for the second-straight year two weeks ago. He became 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, while also earning 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. 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 fourth 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.
Baldwin Jr. wrapped up the regular season leading the Big Ten and ranking 11th 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, and was one of 30 players named a finalist for the Lefty Driesell National Defensive Player of the Year Award last week.
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 three-time NABC All-District selection (2023, 2024, 2025), 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).
NABC All-District honors are voted on by NABC-member coaches across Division I. District alignment features 10 geographic regions that each encompass multiple states. Every Division I school in each given state belongs to that state’s corresponding district.
The 2024-25 Penn State men’s basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.