All Penn State

Penn State's Ace Baldwin Jr. a Finalist for Bob Cousy Award

Baldwin, the Nittany Lions senior, is among 10 finalists for the award that honors college basketball's top point guard.
Mark Wogenrich|
Penn State Nittany Lions guard Ace Baldwin Jr. splits the Iowa Hawkeyes defense during the first half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Penn State Nittany Lions guard Ace Baldwin Jr. splits the Iowa Hawkeyes defense during the first half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

In this story:

Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State basketball standout Ace Baldwin Jr. is among 10 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, given annually to college basketball's top point guard. Baldwin, a two-year starter for the Nittany Lions, is the reigning Big Ten defensive player of the year and was a semifinalist for the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year award. Baldwin also was named to the midseason watch list for the Oscar Robertson Award, presented to the national player of the year.

Baldwin leads Penn State in scoring (14.1 points) and assists (7.8) while adding two steals per game. He ranks fourth in Division I in assists and fifth in free-throw percentage (93.8 percent). He also ranks eighth in the Big Ten in minutes per game (33.6).

Baldwin, who played at VCU before transferring to Penn State when Mike Rhoades was hired as head coach, is Division I's active leader in career steals (313) and is second among active players in assists (782). He also has scored 1,593 career points, making him the only active Division I player with at least 1,500 career points, 700 assists and 300 steals.

The Bob Cousy Award is named for the former Holy Cross guard who played for the Boston Celtics and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971. Cousy led the NBA in assists for eight straight years and played in 13 consecutive All-Star Games.

The Cousy Award selection committee will announce its final five candidates in early March. The 10 finalists are Baldwin, Mark Sears (Alabama), Walter Clayton Jr. (Florida), Ryan Nembhard (Gonzaga), Keshon Gilbert (Iowa State), Kam Jones (Marquette), Braden Smith (Purdue), Dylan Harper (Rutgers), Zakai Ziegler (Tennessee) and Javon Small (West Virginia).

 Fans can vote for the Cousy Award at hoophallawards.com.

 More Penn State Basketball

 "Not good enough:" What went wrong for the Nittany Lions against Ohio State

The Nittany Lions' NCAA Tournament chances are slipping away

Penn State fought through a "ridiculous" January schedule

Published | Modified
Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

Home/Basketball