Ace Baldwin may just be a sophomore, but he’s already starting to generate interest from some of the top programs in the country. The four-star point guard in the 2020 class out of Baltimore has been in contact with Kentucky, North Carolina and Villanova lately as a result of a terrific sophomore year at St. Frances.
Offers have already come in from Miami, Rutgers, Tulsa, UConn and VCU. He’s already taken visits to North Carolina, VCU and Villanova, with more likely coming this summer.
MORE: Prospects reveal their tournament brackets
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IN HIS OWN WORDS
Baldwin talked about early interest and offers along with some visits he’s already taken.
North Carolina: “Their program is great. I like how they play. I’ve watched them this year and I like how they use their point guards and play real fast.”
Kentucky: “They play fast also. They play really good defense. I know Coach (John) Calipari is a hard coach and he pushes guys to get to the league.”
Miami: “They are very aggressive and don’t let people push them around. They push the ball up the court, too. I like the idea of going to school in Florida.”
VCU: “I’ve been up there to watch them and I see how hard they play and they play great defense. They control the game. I like Coach (Mike) Rhoades. He’s a great coach. He’s not just worried about basketball. He’s worried about grades, too.”
Villanova: “It’s a good program. They are very disciplined. I liked Coach (Jay) Wright and his staff.”
Schools he would like to hear from: “Duke, Kansas and Maryland. I like the environment at Duke. I like how the coach at Maryland gives freshmen a chance to play.”
RIVALS' REACTION
It’s still pretty early in the recruiting process for Baldwin. Miami, Rutgers and VCU were wise to get in the mix early with scholarship offers, but with some of the country’s best starting to get involved it could tough for those programs to hang. Style of play was a common theme that Baldwin mentioned with each school, and he appears to be doing his homework on how all the programs recruiting him play. He indicated he may not wait too long to make a decision, but a lot of how his recruitment plays out will depend on how he plays over the next few months with Team BBC.
