Chad Baker-Mazara de Auburn, who began 34 games during the Tigres race to the Final Four, announced Thursday that he is entering the transfer portal.
Baker-Mazara, who turned 25 in January, has a year of eligibility due to the temporal exemption of the NCAA that allows athletes who previously competed in an NCAA school: Junior College or Naia, essentially, to play a fourth season at an NCAA school in 2025-26.
A 7–inch 6-inch wing, Baker-Mazara spent the last two seasons in Auburn after playing a season in the northwest of Florida State. He previously played in the state of San Diego and Duquesne, with his first season for the dukes who do not count for eligibility due to the exemption Covid of the NCAA by 2020-21.
A critical, although enigmatic part of Auburn's success in the last two seasons, Baker-Mazara averaged 12.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists last season, shooting 38.1% from the range of 3 points. He showed the ability to heat the perimeter, scoring 18 points against Florida in the national semifinal and going for 22 points in consecutive games against Ole Miss and Kentucky towards the end of the regular season.
Bruce Pearl has now lost all his initial team of a team that won the general seed number 1 in the NCAA tournament, with the American Johni Brome and his entry companions Denver Jones, Dylan Cardwell and Miles Kelly using their eligibility.
Pearl has made a couple of splashes on the transfer portal, adding Keyshawn Hall (UCF) and Keshawn Murphy (Mississippi state).
