Latest news with #ChadBaker-Mazara
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chad Baker-Mazara transfers to USC after helping Auburn reach the Final Four
FILE - Auburn's Chad Baker-Mazara (10) celebrates during the first half in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, file) LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chad Baker-Mazara is transferring to Southern California after helping Auburn reach the Final Four. The 6-foot-7 forward started 34 of 38 games for the Tigers last season, averaging 12.3 points and 3.0 rebounds while earning All-SEC third-team honors. The Tigers lost 79-73 to eventual national champion Florida in the national semifinals, with Baker-Mazara scoring 18 points. Advertisement 'He's a proven winner and will be a player that we can play all over the floor," USC coach Eric Musselman said Tuesday. "Chad will be one of the best returning players in the country this year. Chad plays with incredible passion and emotion that can lift a home crowd.' Baker-Mazara, who is from the Dominican Republic, started nine of 35 games in his first season with the Tigers. He was selected to the SEC All-Tournament team. He previously played at Northwest Florida State College and Duquesne before transferring to San Diego State as a sophomore. He was the Mountain West's sixth man of the year and helped the Aztecs to a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Baker-Mazara is the sixth player to join USC for next season via the transfer portal. Advertisement ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: and
USA Today
06-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
USC commit Chad Baker-Mazara named biggest SEC loss in basketball transfer portal
USC commit Chad Baker-Mazara named biggest SEC loss in basketball transfer portal USC continues to generate headlines well after landing Chad Baker-Mazara from Auburn and the SEC The college basketball transfer portal is now officially closed. While many players currently in the portal are still looking for new homes, players can no longer enter the portal during this cycle. In a recent story, Kyle McAreavy of Rivals ranked the biggest SEC losses in the portal. He had Chad Baker-Mazara, who left Auburn for USC, at number one on the list. Here is what McAreavy had to say about Baker-Mazara. "Considering Auburn was only going to return one starter from last year's overall No. 1 seed team, losing that one starter has to be one of the biggest departures for any team this portal cycle. "I struggled to weigh the difference between losing a guy for one year versus losing the longer-term potential of a younger player. I decided to go more with what I think will affect a team most in the coming season and there's a tough argument that Baker-Mazara leaving doesn't leave Auburn in a significantly worse spot than if there had been any amount of starting continuity from last year to next year. "He's not the absolute most productive player on this list after posting 12.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and just more than 2.6 assists per game, but the experience he brings pushes him over the edge for me." Baker-Mazara is USC's most notable acquisition to date in an offseason that has been heavy on transfers. The Trojans are certainly hoping that he can bring his Final Four experience from Auburn to the table in order to help Eric Musselman build a winning culture at USC.
USA Today
29-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
USC men's basketball lands prized Auburn transfer Chad Baker-Mazara
USC men's basketball lands prized Auburn transfer Chad Baker-Mazara USC, Eric Musselman bring in star transfer who helped Auburn make the 2025 Final Four It has been an extremely tumultuous offseason thus for USC men's basketball. On Monday, however, the Trojans and Eric Musselman took a massive step in the right direction, landing one of the most sought players in the transfer portal: Auburn's Chad Baker-Mazara. Eric Musselman came to USC as the portal king in college basketball, the hoops version of what Florida State's Mike Norvell and Ohio State's Ryan Day have become in football. That transfer portal skill needed to lead to elite roster pickups in the offseason, all while the Muss Bus recruits Southern California (Alijah Arenas) and finds top players he can develop from scratch. There was no strong expectation that Musselman would make everything fit in his first year. He was thrown into a chaotic roster situation after Andy Enfield's departure with little time to execute his intended strategy to the fullest possible extent. This second offseason needed to be better, and now, with the addition of Chad Baker-Mazara, it is. Chad Baker-Mazara is a worker-bee force of nature. Constant energy (high motor, as basketball analysts would say), relentless rebounding, elite defense, and the ability to score when needed mark him as the kind of player USC lacked last season. The Trojans had scoring but not enough defense and rebounding. Baker-Mazara is a massive get who will give this roster a considerable upgrade. Eric Musselman finally lived up to his promise at USC, and not a moment too soon.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Auburn basketball transfer Chad Baker-Mazara commits to USC
One of the most coveted players in the men's college basketball transfer portal has decided on his next home. Chad Baker-Mazara, the mercurial Auburn guard/forward who was one of the best players on the Tigers' 2025 Final Four team, has committed to USC, he announced Monday. "Dreams turned into reality!!" he wrote in a post on social media. "Let's go to work!!" Dreams turned into reality!! Let's go to work!! #Committed @USC_Hoops — Chad Baker-Mazara (@ChadBaker2700) April 28, 2025 REQUIRED READING: Judge refuses to approve NCAA settlement that would allow revenue sharing for college athletes As a senior last season, the 6-foot-7 Baker-Mazara averaged 12.3 points, three rebounds, 2.7 assists and a team-high 1.2 steals per game while starting in 34 of Auburn's 38 games. He was second on the team in scoring, behind only first-team All-American forward Johni Broome, and earned third-team All-SEC recognition. His decision to leave Auburn surprised many across the sport, but it made an invaluable piece from one of the country's best teams available. Baker-Mazara is rated as the No. 24 player in the portal by 247Sports. At USC, he'll join a program that has had a busy offseason. While the Trojans have lost seven players to transfer – including guards Desmond Claude and Wesley Yates III, their top two scorers last season – Baker-Mazara became their eighth commitment out of the portal. That group also includes former Maryland guard Rodney Rice and former Virginia forward Jacob Cofie, both of whom are rated by 247 as top-100 transfers. USC went 17-18 in 2024-25 in its first season under coach Eric Musselman, who was one of the first college basketball coaches to lean heavily into the portal to build his rosters during previous stints at Arkansas and Nevada. REQUIRED READING: NBA draft lottery: Where will Cooper Flagg go after Duke basketball star declares? Baker-Mazara's commitment isn't only notable because of the impact he can have for a USC team vying for a Big Ten title, but because of his age. The native of the Dominican Republic will turn 26 years old next January, making him a month older than Indiana Pacers all-star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who's in his fifth NBA season. Baker-Mazara began his college career at Duquesne in 2020-21 before later playing at San Diego State in 2021-22 and Northwest Florida State in 2022-23. He transferred to Auburn ahead of the 2023-24 season. He has remaining eligibility because players who competed during the COVID-19-altered 2020-21 season were given a waiver by the NCAA and his season at the junior college level for now won't count against his eligibility after a federal judge in Tennessee granted an injunction last December in a case concerning Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who claimed the NCAA's rule that counts a player's time in junior college toward their overall eligibility is a violation of antitrust law. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chad Baker-Mazara commits to USC basketball after stint at Auburn
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Auburn forward Chad Baker-Mazara announces transfer to USC for final year of eligibility
Former Auburn forward Chad Baker-Mazara is heading to USC for his final year of eligibility, the senior announced in an Instagram post on Monday. The 25-year-old forward had announced that he was transferring earlier this month after two years at Auburn. "Dreams turned into reality!" Baker-Mazara wrote in Monday's post. "Let's go to work!" Advertisement Baker-Mazara's post received messages of support from several of his Auburn teammates, including fellow starter Denver Jones, who told him to "go be great." Tigers star Johni Broome reposted Baker-Mazara's post on his Instagram in an apparent show of support as well. USC will mark Baker-Mazara's fifth school in six seasons in the NCAA. The Dominican-born forward started his collegiate career at Duquesne in the 2020-2021 season before transferring to San Diego State. Baker-Mazara then spent a year at Northwest Florida State College, a junior college, before transferring to Auburn in 2023. Baker-Mazara spent two successful season with the Tigers, becoming a starter this past season. He averaged 12.9 points per game — second on the team behind Broome — and logged the fourth-most minutes on the team. Advertisement Baker-Mazara helped lead Auburn to a Final Four appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers fell to Florida, the eventual NCAA champions, in that matchup.
