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UNIVERSITY PARK - Penn State men's basketball coach Mike Rhoades officially announced the additions of Adrian "Ace" Baldwin and Nick Kern to the Nittany Lion program Tuesday.
Baldwin, the reigning Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, and Kern both have transfered to Happy Valley after playing under Rhoades at VCU.
Baldwin became the fourth player in Atlantic 10 history to win both Player and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season this past year at VCU. The point guard led the Rams in scoring (12.7 ppg), ranked 15th nationally in assists per game (5.8) and 19th nationally in steals per game (2.23) while leading VCU to the 2022-23 Atlantic 10 regular-seasons and tournament championships and an NCAA Tournament appearance this season.
Baldwin is a two-time All-Atlantic 10 honoree, having earned second-team honors during his sophomore season in which he averaged 11.4 points, 5.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game while shooting 41.3 percent from 3-point range during the 2021-22 slate. Baldwin made an immediate impact upon arrival in Richmond, starting all 26 games of his freshman season and earning a spot on the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team. He averaged 4.4 assists per game during his rookie campaign, the most by a freshman in VCU history.
A Baltimore native, Baldwin enjoyed a standout high school career at St. Frances Academy where he was a three-time first team All-State selection.
"We are excited to have Ace in our basketball family. He is a proven successful college basketball player, point guard and leader. We can't wait to get him on campus and get to work," Rhoades said
Kern played in 66 games throughout his two years at VCU and is coming off a strong sophomore season that saw him start the final 19 games of the season while appearing in all 35 contests. He averaged 5.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per game while shooting 62.0 percent from the floor. In his 19 starts last season, Kern shot 67 percent from the field.
A St. Louis native, Kern led his Vashon High School team to three state championships and four district titles during his prep career.
"We're really happy to have Nick join us," Rhoades said. "He brings so many things to our program both on and off the court and is another great fit for our basketball family here."