Auburn's Chad Baker-Mazara Enters MCBB Transfer Portal After Final Four Run

After losing leading scorer Johni Broome to the NBA draft, Auburn's lineup took another hit on Thursday.

Tigers guard Chad Baker-Mazara, who ranked second on the team with 12.3 points per game, announced on social media that he will be entering the transfer portal this offseason.

Earlier this month, Baker-Mazara teased a return to Auburn when he tweeted "2025/26 War Eagle?" with the eyes emoji. It now appears that something changed to make him choose to spend his final college season elsewhere.

The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native spent the last two seasons with the Tigers. He emerged as a reliable No. 2 option behind Broome this past season as Auburn made a run to the Final Four before losing to eventual national champion Florida. In addition to ranking second on the team in scoring, he also added 3.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 38.1 percent from three-point range.

Baker-Mazara began his collegiate career at Duquesne in 2020 before transferring to San Diego State following his freshman season. After one year with the Aztecs, he transferred to junior college Northwest Florida State for the 2022-23 campaign. The JUCO season afforded him an extra year of eligibility following his two seasons at Auburn.

At 25 years old, Baker-Mazara will be one of the most experienced players in college basketball next season. He's known for bringing vocal energy on the court, and Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl praised him for being a smart and reliable player.

"The thing I’ve told Chad is, 'Look, you can affect the game, and the outcome of the game is winning by rebounding, by defending, by using your length, by communicating,'" Pearl said before the Elite Eight, per Griffin McVeigh of On3.com. "Yeah, he can go through phases where he can get really hot. I trust Chad Baker-Mazara with the ball in his hands. I think he’s going to make the right read and the right play."