4th ranked prospect Patrick Baldwin Jr. is staying home, commits to playing for UW-Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Hamilton High School senior Patrick Baldwin Jr., the No. 4 ranked prospect in the 2021 recruiting class, has committed to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to play for his father, Pat Baldwin.
Baldwin Jr. chooses to stay home over Duke and Georgetown on Wednesday, May 12.
.@_pbaldwin23 is staying in Milwaukee! The top 5 player in the country commits to @MKE_MBB where he will play for his father @CoachBaldwin23.
— Scott Grodsky (@ScottGrodsky) May 12, 2021
This will be one of the coolest stories to watch in Milwaukee sports. pic.twitter.com/QLzWyM5jYL
He is the highest ranked recruit in history for the Panthers and the highest recruit in the history of the Horizon League Conference.
Baldwin Jr., a 6-foot 10-inch forward, comes to Milwaukee after playing at Hamilton Sussex High School. He is a consensus five-star recruit and one of the highest-ranked players in the 2021 class.
"First of all, it's a very emotional day for Patrick and for our family and we are extremely happy that he has finally come to a conclusion on his decision on where he wants to go to school," Pat Baldwin Sr. said. "I am extremely happy for him – he has waited for this moment ever since he could dribble a basketball."
Named a 2021 McDonald's All-American in late February – the first time a player from the state of Wisconsin has earned the distinction in six years – Baldwin was also named the 2020 Gatorade Wisconsin Player of the Year after leading Hamilton to a 22-3 record while averaging 24.3 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.
Baldwin Jr. chose Milwaukee over a final Top 10 that consisted of Duke, Georgetown, Kentucky, Michigan, Northwestern, North Carolina, UCLA, Virginia, Wisconsin, and the Panthers.
.@_pbaldwin23, the No. 4 overall recruit in ESPN's 2021 rankings, has committed to Milwaukee, per @PaulBiancardi.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 12, 2021
(?: @TiptonEdits) | @MKE_MBBpic.twitter.com/SfKhYQCPP3
"Extremely happy for him and for the Milwaukee Panther basketball family," Pat Baldwin Sr. said. "When you talk about getting great teammates in here and guys that are bought in to what you are doing and obviously, have some talent as well. We have certainly increased our ability to score and to do some great things. I think that Patrick will definitely pair extremely well with the current players we have in our program and will add a tremendous amount of depth to our lineup as well."
UWM is coming off 10-12 season in 2020-21.
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