STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WHTM) – Penn State’s senior point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. was crowned the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year on Tuesday and four other Nittany Lions received accolades.

Baldwin Jr. is the third Penn State men’s basketball player to win the award (Josh Reaves 2019, Calvin Booth 1998). Baldwin Jr. also earned a third team All-Big Ten selection (coaches & media) nod and was named to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team.

Baldwin Jr. was the Big Ten regular season leader for steals (48) and ranked fourth in the country. The point guard also ranked fifth in the country in steals per game with 2.71. Baldwin Jr.’s steals per game in conference play is the most by a Big Ten player in one season in the past 10 years.

The Baltimore, Maryland native is also averaging 14.3 points per game and a team-high 6 assists per game.

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Baldwin Jr. is the only active Division I player who has over 1,000 career points (1,271), over 600 career assists (606) and over 250 career steals (267). Baldwin Jr.’s steals mark is second in Division I.

In his first season with Penn State, Baldwin Jr. has led the defense to lead the Big Ten in steals and rank second in turnovers forced per game and turnover margin.

Other Nittany Lions who received accolades are Qudus Wahab (Honorable Mention All-Big Ten coaches), Nick Kern Jr. (Honorable Mention All-Big Ten coaches), Zach Hicks (Honorable Mention All-Big Ten coaches) and Puff Johnson (Big Ten Sportsmanship Award).

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