USC’s season hits new low with Chad Baker-Mazara's bizarre and unexpected departure

Eric Musselman’s first season at USC was dominated by Bronny James’s freshman season, and now his second year in LA has, as the Trojans flounder in the Big Ten, has its own bizarre situation stealing the headlines. 

On Saturday, USC lost its fifth-straight game, falling to 18-11 and into 12th place in the Big Ten with an 82-67 loss to Nebraska at the Galen Center. However, the season hit a new low on Sunday when it was announced that the team’s leading scorer, and 26-year-old senior, Chad Baker-Mazara, was no longer with the team. 

The team did not explain his departure, but it comes a day after Baker-Mazara took a hard fall against the Cornhuskers and then returned from the locker room to sit with fans along the baseline instead of joining his teammates on the bench. 

Chad Baker-Mazara departs Trojans roster with no explanation

After the game, Musselman told reporters that Baker-Mazara, “said he couldn’t go,” regarding his injury, and that Musselman had not spoken with the team’s trainers about his status. Injured teammate Rodney Rice joined Baker-Mazara in the row with the fans, with an unidentified woman sitting between them. 

Baker-Mazara began his Division I basketball career in 2020-21 with Duquesne before transferring to San Diego State for the 2021-22 season. Then, he made his way to Auburn for two years, and last season he started 24 of Auburn’s 38 games, averaging 12.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists as the Tigers made the Final Four for the second-time in program history. 

This year, Baker-Mazara is averaging 18.5 points and 6.0 assists in 29.7 minutes a game. He has played in 26 of the team’s 29 games. The Trojans have been marred by injuries, including to Rice, who played in just six games before suffering a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery. Five-star freshman Alijah Arenas also missed time to start the year after a car crash nearly cost him his life in the summer. 

This offseason, Baker-Mazara obtained an extra year of eligibility because he began his career at a junior college, Northwest Florida State. His long and eventful collegiate career has finally come to a bizarre end, and it’s just the latest unforeseen situation to befall the program since Musselman replaced Andy Enfield in 2024. 

Without Baker-Mazara, the Trojans are likely to limp to the finish line with Washington and UCLA left on the regular season schedule. The Trojans are not likely to make the NCAA Tournament, but with the Big Ten’s new 18-team conference tournament format, will have a chance to play their way into an automatic bid in Chicago.