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NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing Patrick Baldwin Jr.’s top 10

By Lukas Harkins

UNCASVILLE, CT - MARCH 09: A detailed view of a basketball net and Wilson NCAA basketball at Mohegan Sun Arena on March 9, 2020 in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Photo by Benjamin Solomon/Getty Images)
UNCASVILLE, CT - MARCH 09: A detailed view of a basketball net and Wilson NCAA basketball at Mohegan Sun Arena on March 9, 2020 in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Photo by Benjamin Solomon/Getty Images) /
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – JANUARY 28: Coach Bennett of the Cavaliers reacts. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – JANUARY 28: Coach Bennett of the Cavaliers reacts. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

UCLA Bruins

UCLA made a strong push towards the end of this past season and is now projected to be a potential Top 25 team in the nation during this coming campaign. It appears as though head coach Mick Cronin was able to quickly instill his beliefs in the program and that is making a difference.

Coach Cronin also proved relatively quickly that he could recruit at a high level in Westwood, although five-star prospect Daishen Nix eventually chose to play in the G League rather than in college. The Bruins already have a solid start to the 2021 class with the commitment of Will McClendon (No. 46 overall prospect) and pairing him with Baldwin would give them an excellent freshmen wing for that campaign.

UCLA offered Baldwin in August 2018 and the new staff has kept in touch after the coaching change of the last offseason. The Bruins are the lone west coast school in Baldwin’s final list – we’ll see if that differentiator turns out to be meaningful.

Virginia Cavaliers

Tony Bennett is among the elite of head coaches in the entire country and he has had underrated success with sending players to the NBA while at Virginia. While the Cavaliers have not exactly been a “one-and-done” program in the past, Baldwin is the type of player that could excel in Coach Bennett’s system right away.

He might actually be the perfect prototype for UVA. Baldwin can shoot it from three, already defends well at multiple positions, and is an intelligent player on both ends of the floor.

While Virginia could be seen as a strong landing spot for Baldwin considering its playing style and recent success, the program does not seem to be one of the favorites. Charlottesville is not among the campuses that he has visited over the past year and it seems as though the Cavaliers would have some catching up to do in the recruitment.

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