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Penn State’s Baldwin, Hicks sign NBA Summer League deals

nate-mug-10.12.14by: Nate Bauer06/29/25NateBauerBWI
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Penn State forward Zach Hicks (File photo: Steve Manuel/BWI)

Penn State will have two more recent alumni joining Yanic Konan Niederhauser in the NBA this summer. Over the weekend, Ace Baldwin and Zach Hicks each signed deals to participate in the NBA Summer League next month in Las Vegas.

Baldwin, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in each of the past two seasons, will play with the Memphis Grizzlies. Hicks, the sharpshooting wing, has signed on with the Boston Celtics. Konan Niederhauser was selected No. 30 overall in last week’s NBA Draft, becoming the first player in Penn State history to be taken in the first round.

Ace Baldwin signs on with Grizzlies

A 6-foot-1, 190-pound point guard, Baldwin finished his college career with 1,716 points, 831 assists, and 342 steals over five seasons. After spending his first three years at VCU, he followed Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades to University Park in April 2023.

During his two seasons with the Nittany Lions, Baldwin experienced both success and setbacks, earning All-Big Ten honors twice but falling short of leading Penn State back to the NCAA Tournament.

“Every year is different in a good way and in a bad way. Some things go the way you want, some don’t,” Rhoades said. “But it’s always about whether you had a level of growth as a young person. It doesn’t always go the way you want, but it keeps going. And to help you move forward in your basketball career and in life, are you going to look back and learn from it?

“Everything we went through – good and bad – can you grow from it to become better? Better at your craft, better as a young man? I think that’s the most important thing,” Rhoades continued. “There are moments of great success that give you confidence. There are also lessons of great regret – ‘I didn’t handle that well. I wish I had done that better.’ I think Ace understands that. Now, do you want to win more? Heck yeah, we want to win more. But that’s the fun part of coaching guys for a number of years, including five years with a guy like Ace.”

Hicks gets his shot with Boston

The 6-foot-8, 200-pound Hicks will suit up for the Boston Celtics in Las Vegas.

In his second and final season at Penn State, Hicks averaged 11.6 points per game while connecting on 41.3 percent of his three-point attempts. He also averaged 2.39 made threes per game, ranking fourth in the Big Ten.

Rhoades praised Hicks for his individual development and emphasized that his value went well beyond his perimeter shooting.

“Zach Hicks is a hell of a basketball player, and how much he’s improved since he got here last year until now is unbelievable,” Rhoades said. “That dude is playing at a high level and a high-IQ level. I understand people will look and say he didn’t get a lot of shots or didn’t score a lot. But he’s involved in winning basketball, and his defense has been awesome. He’s been terrific. He’s playing at a high level, and we aren’t who we are without that cat, for sure.”

The NBA Summer League runs from July 10–20 in Las Vegas.

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