USC announced Sunday that forward Chad Baker-Mazara, the Trojans’ leading scorer, is no longer with the men’s basketball program.
Baker-Mazara exited Saturday’s home loss to No. 12 Nebraska early in the second half after a hard fall while blocking a shot. He told coach Eric Musselman he could not return to the game and was seen sitting near injured teammate Rodney Rice in a fan area rather than on the team bench. USC’s brief statement gave no reason or additional details about his departure; the school’s spokesperson said they had nothing further to add.
Musselman said after the game that Baker-Mazara told him he could not go back in and that he had not yet spoken with an athletic trainer about the player’s condition. He also explained that Baker-Mazara was sitting near fans because there was a shortage of chairs on the bench.
A 26-year-old graduate student, Baker-Mazara arrived at USC last spring after several stops in his college career. He initially committed to Duquesne out of SPIRE Academy (Ohio), transferred to San Diego State for a season, spent a year at Northwest Florida State (a junior college), and then played two seasons at Auburn, where he started 43 games and averaged 11.2 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting nearly 40 percent from three.
Baker-Mazara was a starter on Auburn’s 2024-25 team that won the SEC regular-season title and reached the Final Four. He transferred to USC following that run and became the Trojans’ primary offensive option after Rodney Rice suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in late November. This season he averaged a career-high 18.5 points in 26 games, along with career highs in rebounds (4.2) and assists (2.8).
He missed three games in February with a knee injury but returned to post 21 points against Oregon and 25 against UCLA before leaving Saturday’s game early.
USC (18-11, 7-11 Big Ten) is seeking its first NCAA tournament berth since 2023 but has lost five straight games, leaving its postseason prospects uncertain. The Trojans finish the regular season with road games at Washington and a home finale against UCLA this week.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
