Auburn star Chad Baker-Mazara should be proud
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José de Jesus Ortiz, Founder & Editor in Chief
- April 5, 2025
Chad Baker-Mazara led Auburn in Final Four loss
SAN ANTONIO – Chad Baker-Mazara was disappointed yet proud Saturday night at the Alamodome. His season ended in a national semifinal loss against Florida, ending the greatest basketball run in Auburn history.
The small forward from the Dominican Republic was proud to have shared the run to the Final Four with his father Derrek Baker, mother Carmen Mazara, uncles, cousins and best friend. After playing his college career away from his native island, Baker-Mazara enjoyed seeing his parents celebrate when he scored.
“On top of the world to turn around and see my dad celebrating with me,” he said. “My mom celebrating with me. It can’t get better than that.”
The 79-73 loss wasn’t the finish he and No. 1 overall seed Auburn wanted. Nonetheless, he found comfort in a trip he never dared to dream about as a child growing up in Santo Domingo.
Unlikely road to Final Four
Afterward, he appeared at peace and somewhat defiantly proud after a season in which his rugged, pesty play drew criticism from opposing fans who accused him of pushing the limits toward dirty play at times.
The numbers don’t lie, though. Chad Baker-Mazara is a big time player. In the biggest game in Auburn men’s basketball history, Baker-Mazara was the leading scorer in the Tigers’ first Final Four appearance.
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Baker-Mazara led the Tigers with a team-high 18 points. He added four steals, a block and two assists with one rebound. He was 4 of 7 from 3-point range, propelling Auburn with a pair of early 3-pointers.
“I’m living a dream right now for a kid who was not even supposed to be here in the first place,” Chad Baker-Mazara said. “Hitting those (3-pointers), being able to help my team we didn’t come up with a victory, but I left it all out there. I’m proud of myself.”
Auburn All-American forward/center Johni Broome added 15 points and seven rebounds.
Walter Clayton Jr. show
Unfortunately for Auburn, they had no answer for Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. The Gators’ senior guard scored a game-high 34 points with two assists and four rebounds. Alijah Martin added 17 points for Florida.
”Special,” Martin said of Clayton.
Baker-Mazara was one of Auburn’s best players in his fifth season of college basketball. He gave his family many moments to celebrate Saturday night. Because of new NCAA rulings on eligibility for athletes who began their careers at junior colleges, Baker-Mazara can still play another season at Auburn if he desires.
He’s clearly ready for professional basketball, whether in the NBA or abroad. Baker-Mazara, the son of an American father and Dominican mother, was raised in Santo Domingo.
He didn’t move to the United States to live with his paternal grandfather Bailey Baker until he was a 17-year-old junior in high school. He went from Duquesne in 2020 to San Diego State for the 2021-2022 season. Then he went to Northwest Florida State College, a junior college, for the 2022-2023 season.
He has played the last two seasons at Auburn. Baker-Mazara sought counseling to help him control his emotions after he was ejected from Auburn’s upset loss to Yale last year in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
He was ejected after committing a Flagrant 2 foul against Alabama at the end of the Southeastern Conference’s regular season. Baker-Mazara kept his cool otherwise even though opponents and opposing fans tried to bait him often.
Inspirational figure
“When I look back at the season, other than the people at Auburn, no one thought we’d be here,” he says. “I’ll take that any day.”
Equally important, Baker-Mazara has been a symbol of hope for children in his beloved island.
“I hope it inspires them a lot,” he says. “I was that one kid that never thought I’d be here. I just put my head down and I bet on myself. And thanks to God, I’m here today.
“I want to tell (Dominican children) to ignore all the people talking them down. Put your head down and don’t cheat the game. You can accomplish many things.”
José de Jesus Ortiz
Founder & Editor in Chief
Award-winning writer José de Jesus Ortiz, a former lead sports columnist at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, has covered Major League Baseball since 1997 in Los Angeles, St. Petersburg, New York and Houston. He was the first Latino to serve as president of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
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