Chad Baker-Mazara No Longer Part of New Program Following Transfer

One of the Auburn Tigers’ best players a year ago is teamless after transferring out at the conclusion of last season.

The University of Southern California’s athletic department revealed early Sunday evening that Trojans guard Chad Baker-Mazara is no longer with the basketball program.

“Chad Baker-Mazara is no longer a member of the USC Men's Basketball program, the team announced Sunday,” the release read. “Baker-Mazara, a graduate student, appeared in 26 contests for the Trojans in 2025-26.”

BREAKING: Chad Baker-Mazara is no longer a part of the USC basketball program, the school announced. https://t.co/htiJkoK7zW pic.twitter.com/AJ4RQS1EU3
— On3 (@On3) March 1, 2026

After entering the transfer portal this past offseason and landing in California, Baker-Mazara started in 22 of the 26 games in which he saw minutes, averaging 18.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per outing. He shot it at nearly the same clip as he did last season in an Auburn uniform, as the former Tiger is shooting 44.4% from the field and 38.1% from behind the arc.

The Trojans have been firmly on the bubble for a solid amount of time, but their postseason aspirations, much like Auburn’s, are slowly fading with every game. USC fell to Nebraska, 82-67, at home on Saturday, and Baker-Mazara exited the contest after re-aggravating an injury to his knee. He went down early in the second half and did not come back for the remainder of the game.

So, it’s unknown the status of Baker-Mazara’s knee, but it may have played a role in why he’s no longer with the Trojans.

The 26-year-old graduate student is in his fifth year of college basketball, having spent two years on the Plains in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. Baker-Mazara started 34 games last season for the Tigers, averaging 12.3 points per game en route to the second-ever Final Four appearance in school history.

However, although he served as a large contributor to Auburn’s historic season last year, Baker-Mazara was also a liability at times. His temper would get the best of him, and he was often unable to control emotions in crunch time of important games, as indicated by the nine total technical fouls assessed to him in his two campaigns at Auburn.

It’s hard to predict the next step for Baker-Mazara because, barring any lawsuit or unusual ruling from the NCAA, he will be out of eligibility. There’s a minimal chance he’ll be drafted in the upcoming NBA Draft this summer, as well, but he could potentially some action in the G League in the coming years once he is healthy.