Five-star recruit Patrick Baldwin Jr. signed a national letter of intent to play college basketball for the UW-Milwaukee Panthers Wednesday morning, head coach Pat Baldwin announced today.
“I will be playing for my dad at Milwaukee,” the younger Baldwin told ESPN. “I had some great options, which made me not rush through the process. The thought of playing for my dad was too good to pass up. In today’s day and age, you see mid-majors having great success, most recently Loyola and Oral Roberts,” per ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Paul Biancardi.
Baldwin Jr. chose to play for the Panthers over national powerhouses such as Duke and Georgetown.
Named a 2021 McDonald’s All-American and 2020 Gatorade Wisconsin Player of the year, Baldwin Jr. is a once-in-a-generation player for a mid-major program like Milwaukee.
Baldwin Jr. is the no. 4 ranked prospect and second overall forward in the class of 2021, according to ESPN recruiting rankings. He is the highest-ranked recruit to ever sign with any Horizon League Program.
At 6-foot 9-inches, Baldwin Jr. has a well-balanced game that depicts his elite size and strength. He has the ability to play and guard multiple positions and can stretch the defense with his three-point shooting ability.
Baldwin Jr. led the Chargers with 24.3 points and 10.8 rebounds per game as a junior while helping Sussex Hamilton to a 22-3 record. An ankle injury in Baldwin Jr.’s second game of the 2020-2021 season kept him sidelined for the remainder of his senior year. He scored 1,595 points in his time with the Chargers.
Baldwin Jr. is projected to be a lottery pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.