Chad Baker Mazara dismissed from USC; chad baker mazara no longer with program
USC announced Sunday that sixth-year senior guard Chad Baker-Mazara was no longer a member of the team. The move comes less than a day after he left Saturday’s loss to Nebraska and as the Trojans head into a pivotal, final week with their season in serious danger of unraveling.
How the game unfolded
Baker-Mazara left Saturday’s loss to Nebraska a few minutes into the second half after he chased down a lay-in and fell hard on the court. USC coach Eric Musselman said after the game that Baker-Mazara told coaches he was unable to return. He spent the rest of the game in a folding chair on the baseline. The Trojans had built a five-point lead at halftime but were outscored by 20 points in the second half by the No. 12 Cornhuskers and suffered their fifth consecutive loss.
Chad Baker Mazara's role
Less than a day after that sequence, Baker-Mazara was on his way out, leaving the Trojans without one of their most dynamic scorers as they enter a do-or-die stretch of their schedule. He was the Trojans’ top scorer at 18. 5 points per game, their most reliable free-throw shooter and their best three-point shooter at 38 percent. His energy, when properly harnessed, was described as capable of giving USC’s offense a jolt.
Coach praise and transfer background
Those skills, along with Baker-Mazara’s Final Four experience at Auburn last year, were primary reasons why Musselman made him one of his top targets in the transfer portal. Musselman lauded his "charisma" and his "it factor" as much as his scoring ability, and in May said, "There will never be a dull moment. Might be that I’ve got a little more on my plate. "
Availability and health questions
Baker-Mazara had been less reliable through conference play. He averaged 26 points per game over the remaining seven games of USC’s non-conference slate, but during Big Ten play he played fewer than 20 minutes in a game five times for one reason or another. At times those limits were because of his health; other times the reason was unclear in the provided context.
Roster context and season implications
After lead guard Rodney Rice was lost for the season in November, Baker-Mazara stepped into the void as the Trojans’ most consistent scorer. USC is losers of their last five games and has just unclear in the provided context more games left in the regular season to improve its tournament resume. The Trojans still need plenty of help to find a place in the NCAA tournament, and Sunday’s news made that pursuit more difficult.
Comments and reporting
A person familiar with the situation not authorized to speak publicly said the decision was not the result of one incident but an accumulation of issues that led to his exit. USC didn’t immediately offer a reason for his departure. USC coach Eric Musselman also said it has been tough to cope with Rondey Rice’s absence on the night the Trojans lost at UCLA. After the announcement, observers have noted that Baker-Mazara’s exit on the doorstep of March is another ominous sign for a team running out of time — and players — to help find their way back to the NCAA tournament bubble.
Ryan Kartje is the USC beat writer.
Closing the chapter on a season that had shown promise in non-conference play, the Trojans must now reorganize without their leading scorer as they face the remaining stretch of the schedule.
