Southern California’s leading scorer Chad Baker-Mazara is no longer a member of the program, the University said in a statement Sunday.
The announcement comes with two games left in the regular season before USC heads to Chicago for the Big Ten tournament. The Trojans have lost five straight games.
The Trojans didn’t provide a reason for Baker-Mazara’s departure. In Saturday’s home loss to No. 12 Nebraska, the graduate transfer was seen sitting courtside on the baseline with fans rather than on the bench with his teammates during the second half.
While NCAA eligibility rules continue to be challenged in different levels of the court system, it is likely that Baker-Mazara’s 145-game college career is over.
Baker-Mazara, 26, has played for five college programs in six seasons, including a junior college year. After one season apiece at Duquesne and San Diego State, he spent 2022-23 at Northwest Florida State College.
His best years came at Auburn, where he averaged 11.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in 73 games (43 starts). He was ejected from an NCAA Tournament Round of 64 game against Yale in 2024, having been assessed a flagrant 2 foul for throwing an elbow at an opponent; Yale went on to upset the fourth-seeded Tigers.
But Baker-Mazara helped the Tigers spend much of the 2024-25 season as the No. 1 team in the country and advance to the Final Four, where they lost to SEC counterpart and eventual national champion Florida.
At USC, Baker-Mazara made 22 starts among his 26 appearances and averaged 18.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists — all career bests.
–Field Level Media
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