Player: Adrian “Ace” Baldwin
Class: 2020
HT: 5’11, 155 pounds
High School: St. Frances Academy, Baltimore MD
Recruiting Update: Offered by UCONN, Miami, Kansas State, Drexel, Denver. Interest from Florida State, LSU, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa.
Athletic Achievements: Is the 3rd leading scorer in the Under Armour Association, leads the UAA in steals and ranks among the UAA leaders in assists while playing up a classification with Team Thrill 16U…Was the only freshman honored by the Baltimore Catholic League as he earned 2017 All BCL Honorable Mention for St Frances Academy.
AAU Club Name: Team Thrill
High School Coach Evaluation: Ace is great playmaker who sees two plays ahead makes his teammates better. When needed he has the ability to carry your team by scoring. His best attribute is his defense; he is a tenacious defender who can affect the game defensively in the same manner as his offense. He is the most underrated guard in his class in the country but not for long. – Coach Nick Myles, Athletic Director and Head Basketball Coach, St Frances Academy. Coach Myles starred at Dunbar High School in Washington DC before playing collegiately at Bowie State.
AAU Coach Evaluation: I believe Ace’s biggest strength is his ability to guard the ball. He is one of the best on ball defenders I have been around and the best in the 2020 class. He allows the team to gain extra possessions in every contest. Ace is what I call a throwback PG; he does not do anything “cute”, he’s gritty, heady, and plays the position the way it should be played. He’s a pass first PG who sets the table but has the ability to score in bunches. I have had the opportunity to be a part of his development since he was a young kid and I always knew he was different. Writers, reporters, and critics often overlooked him but he used that as motivation. Ace has never cared about the politics of basketball, he’s about staying focused on the process and the results from staying the course. – Coach Donnell “Mookie” Dobbins, Team Thrill Program Director and Head Coach of 2019 and 2021 Black teams. Dobbins was an All Baltimore County guard out of Forest Park HS and an All Mid South Conference and All Academic guard at Pikesville College.
Coach Frank says: Ace is a special player, born to ball! From his pinpoint no look passes, his explosive quickness and ball handling wizardry to his high IQ and solid floor leadership, Ace Baldwin has big time potential! Ace can run the offense and get teammates involved and has excellent vision. He can break down his defender using an impressive array of dribble moves or simply blow by his defender and get to the rim. He can stop on a dime, pull up off the bounce and knock down the mid range jumper with very good consistency or he can step out beyond the arc and beat you from deep as evidenced in a February 11, 2017 game against Woodlawn when the smooth shooting lefty went 7 for 9 from deep and 10 for 13 overall finishing with 33 points. While he demonstrates the ability to carry a team for long stretches he is a creative playmaker who sets up scoring opportunities for teammates using his dribble and elite passing skills. Ace changes speeds effortlessly and accelerates with explosiveness, his lateral movement and ability to decelerate quickly are equally impressive. He plays with a great motor on both ends of the floor, rebounds his position, defends the dribble with tenacity. Ace is a lockdown defender with active hands and quick feet. He is an exciting prospect and has a bright basketball future!