Penn State Sports Magazine
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A P R I L 2 0 2 5 47 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M The remaining portion of the roster is to be determined. With the transfer window opening amid the early rounds of the NCAA Tournament, players across the country are looking to ex- plore their options. For Penn State, the portal presents both opportunity and risk. The list of scholarship players with remaining eligibility includes junior forward Yanic Konan Niederhauser, an honorable mention All-Big Ten pick, as well as redshirt sophomore guard Fred- die Dilione V, freshman guard Domi- nick Stewart, sophomore forward Kachi Nzeh and sophomore guard Eli Rice. Rhoades is looking to guard against the possibility of outside tampering with his roster, noting that awareness is a key part of the process. "There's lots of tampering, and there are no rules. There are lots of third par- ties involved now like there always have been, but more now than ever," he said. "So, you keep your ear to the ground and [pay attention] to what's going on out there. You take care of your home first, and then you go from there. "You've just got to be on top of it, and you want your staff to be on top of it. There are people out there that you've known for many years that you have re- lationships with that you talk to. And you try to keep your pulse on what's going on out there all the time. You just can't have your head in the sand." During a roster reconstruction cycle in which at least five scholarship spots will need to be filled, that leaves Penn State feeling prepared to handle what- ever comes next. A top priority will be to replace the ball-handling skills that the team is losing with Baldwin and Carter moving on. "That's something we've got to go recruit this spring and make sure we have enough handlers in our program," Rhoades said. "So, we'll do that." Additionally, Penn State will be fo- cused on improving its overall size, from the one through five positions. Rhoades called for "a body of armor that could win games in the Big Ten" to help the Nittany Lions "play the style that I want to play, being bigger, and stronger, and taller, and with more girth." Seeking a combination of size and skill, acknowledging a need for more proficient shooting, Rhoades and the Nittany Lions are hopeful they can emerge from their 2024-25 difficulties as a better team. "The No. 1 thing is to build a program, and to build a program that you want to sustain, you're going to have lots of struggles," Rhoades said. "You're go- ing to go through it, and there are go- ing to be some surprises and changes. You've just got to keep going. You can't put your head in the sand and think it won't happen. You've got to be ready to rebound and keep moving." ■ 2024-25 Results (16-15 Overall, 6-14 Big Ten) Date Opponent Time/TV Oct. 25 Lafayette (Exh.)* W, 79-64 Nov. 4 BINGHAMTON W, 108-66 Nov. 8 UMBC W, 103-54 Nov. 12 SAINT FRANCIS (Pa.) W, 92-62 Nov. 15 Virginia Tech** W, 86-64 Nov. 20 FORT WAYNE W, 102-89 Nov. 25 Fordham^ W, 85-66 Nov. 26 Clemson^ L, 75-67 Dec. 1 BUFFALO W, 87-64 Dec. 5 PURDUE W, 81-70 Dec. 10 at Rutgers L, 80-76 Dec. 14 COPPIN STATE W, 99-51 Dec. 21 at Drexel W, 75-64 Dec. 29 PENN W, 86-66 Jan. 2 NORTHWESTERN W, 84-80 Jan. 5 Indiana^^ L, 77-71 Jan. 8 at Illinois L, 91-52 Jan. 12 OREGON L, 82-81 Jan. 15 at Michigan State L, 90-85 Jan. 20 RUTGERS W, 80-72 Jan. 24 at Iowa L, 76-75 Jan. 27 at Michigan L, 76-72 Jan. 30 OHIO STATE L, 83-64 Feb. 4 MINNESOTA L, 69-61 Feb. 8 at UCLA L, 78-54 Feb. 11 at USC L, 92-67 Feb. 15 WASHINGTON L, 75-73 Feb. 19 NEBRASKA W, 89-72 Feb. 22 at Minnesota W, 69-60 Feb. 26 at Indiana L, 83-78 Mar. 1 MARYLAND L, 68-64 Mar. 8 at Wisconsin W, 86-75 * at Lebanon Valley College ** Hall of Fame Series, Baltimore ^ Sunshine Slam, Daytona Beach, Fla. ^^ at the Palestra, Philadelphia Graduate point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. endured a difficult final season of college basketball. After a promising start, everything began to derail in January when the second-year Nittany Lion suf- fered a lower-back injury. But even amid his personal difficulties — which contributed to the team's midseason slide from NCAA Tournament contention — Baldwin showed perseverance, playing in all but one of Penn State's 31 games. His determination was rewarded in March when he was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year for the second sea- son in a row. Baldwin finished the regular season ranked 10th nationally with an average of 2.37 steals per game. He became the first Big Ten player since Purdue's Kenneth Lowe in 2003 and '04 to be named the league's top defensive player in con- secutive seasons. Before arriving at Penn State, he was the Atlantic 10's Defensive Player of the Year while attending Virginia Commonwealth in 2023. Baldwin, who led Penn State in scoring at 14.0 points per game, admitted that he endured "a tough year" due to the injury and the team's sub- sequent struggles. "There's ups and downs," he said. "But it's really bigger than basketball. I created a great bond with my teammates. I've been with all the coaches for like five years [between VCU and Penn State]. So, I think it's just bigger than basketball. It's like more of a family thing. It's been great." — Nate Bauer Ace Baldwin Jr. Repeats As Big Ten Defensive Player Of The Year BALDWIN