Ace Baldwin thinks of his basketball journey as a literal climb. He probably wouldn’t be one of the top guards in the Big Ten if Academy coach St. Frances, Nick Myles, wouldn’t have him running up the stairs every day.

Even though it’s been nearly five years since his heady days with the Panthers — when he was a three-time Baltimore Catholic League Tournament MVP — Baldwin was still groaning this week as he thought about climbing all the floors at St. Frances with his teammates. , 10 or more times before training.

That’s what it was like to play for the Panthers. Your desire to succeed had to be stronger than the pain you felt in your legs and sides as you climbed the ladder.

“I think it was more competitive there,” Baldwin said. “We beat each other up there. That’s what I was after.”

Baldwin added, “I think it’s just a Baltimore thing.”

Baldwin celebrates a homecoming Friday night at CFG Arena, where Penn State’s Nittany Lions take on Virginia Tech in the nightcap a Hall of Fame Series double which also features Virginia and Villanova. As of Wednesday afternoon, Baldwin was still hoping for an allotment of 30 tickets to accommodate friends and family eager to see the 6-foot-1 guard play in his hometown for the first time in his college career.

For Baldwin, though, one of the most interesting parts of this climb is how many Baltimore-area guys (especially players with St. Frances ties) are succeeding with him.

In the NBA, the Washington Wizards took Bub Carrington, the St. Frances and the Pitt standout, who join Toronto’s Immanuel Quickley (John Carroll) and Houston’s Cam Whitmore (Archbishop Spalding) as the area’s most promising pro players. The Wizards are rebuilding, but Carrington has started nine of the first 10 games of his NBA career, posting 9.9 points, 5.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 36.1 percent from 3-point range.

At Maryland, the Terps went 3-0 with Julian Reese and five-star recruit Derik Queen as the starters in the frontcourt. Reese was a standout at St. Frances and is a senior with Maryland. Queen started at St. Frances before transferring to Montverde Academy in Florida as a sophomore and went on to be a McDonald’s All-American. They are two of the team’s top four scorers, and Queen started the season in particular with a freshman-high 22-point, 20-rebound performance.

What makes these players tick? Reese, brother of Chicago Sky star Angel Reesethey said they have a common style.

“Just playing a little harder, a little tough,” he said. “A little basketball smashmouth.”

This generation of serious players has the potential to carry a new mantle for the Baltimore basketball scene. In the last two years, Carmelo Anthony and Rudy Gay has retired from the NBAending a proud era. This avant-garde may not reach those heights of stardom, but there is a renewed energy for the coming wave.

Carrington, who is Gay’s second cousin, heard many times about Gay’s golden age when he played at Spalding around the same time Anthony was coming to Towson Catholic. Although a fan of both, he views these stories with skepticism: “Those were the good old days, it seems.” For Baldwin, his local heroes included Aquille Carr and Josh Selby.

Carrington thinks these days are pretty good too. The 19-year-old ticked off other former teammates he’s watching with interest: Florida State’s Daquan Davis, James Madison’s Bryce Baldwin and North Carolina A&T’s Jahnathan Lamothe. It’s no surprise that so many Panthers (and other Baltimoreans) are making noise across the country.

“Before you can get anywhere else, you have to get from St. Frances,” Carrington said. “It’s the culture I’m building. They raise tough players. You have to fight for everything you get there.”

Although many of these players came out of St. Frances, Myles said this week that Baltimoreans’ success in the college and professional ranks can be attributed to the strength of the Baltimore Catholic League, which produces talent even as some of the best players are siphoned off to prep schools. He pointed to Miami’s Haywood Highsmith (Archbishop Curley) and Chicago’s Jalen Smith (St. Joseph) as other players who are in the NBA. “We’re still making dudes in Baltimore.”

While Myles said Queen (who played one season at St. Frances) will “always be one of my kids” and respects the path she took through Florida, he hopes locals see Carrington’s story as a viable alternative to staying in the city.

“It’s just going back to the old way of doing things,” Myles said. “Bub is a late bloomer who just stayed in the gym, stayed consistent. You can still get out of Baltimore the old fashioned way. You can still achieve your dreams.”

What is notable is how close to the city some of these standouts are. Maryland is scheduled to face No. 15 Marquette at home on Friday, five of the next six home contests for those hoping to see Reese and Queen continue to team up for the Terps. Already struggling in the standings, the Wizards are going all-in on the youth movement, meaning Carrington figures to continue getting NBA playing time just a short drive (or train) away.

Carrington’s journey from St. Frances to Pitt at a lottery pick feels mostly like a whirlwind, but he’s starting to see what this generation of Baltimore-born players could do.

“We definitely have a chance to be special,” Carrington said. “We want to be like that. We take pride in the way we play, the way we represent our city. … It would be an honor to even be classified as this type of group.”

On Friday, Baltimoreans staying at home will get a taste of the kind of talent the city’s basketball scene is revealing. Baldwin, the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, is excited to see who he can inspire by showing up locally.

“It means a lot to know the kids come out and watch me play,” he said. “It also gives me that motivation. I have to be a good leader and show them the way.”

The Hall of Fame Series tips off at CFG Arena on Friday. Virginia vs. Villanova kicks off at 5 pm, and Penn State vs. Virginia Tech kicks off at 7:30 pm