'Rallied the troops': Chad Baker-Mazara again shows his value to Auburn basketball
ATHENS — Auburn basketball wing Chad Baker-Mazara was magnificent against Georgia.
A former junior college standout who got his start at Duquesne before transferring to San Diego State and Northwest Florida State College, Baker-Mazara was nearly flawless in the 97-76 win over the Bulldogs. Every dribble felt right, every crossover seemed to shift the defender and almost every shot he attempted found the bottom of the net, no matter the difficulty.
It resulted in a career-high 25 points for the junior, as he guided the Tigers to a bounceback win in Stegeman Coliseum on Saturday: "It's interesting, he doesn't need to play at home to play well," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said postgame of Baker-Mazara.
But like he's already shown this season — Baker-Mazara led a players-only halftime meeting at Ole Miss — the lanky Tiger making his first start of the season has an impact that reaches far beyond the court.
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"When it got close late, Chad Baker(-Mazara) once again came into the huddle on the bench," Pearl said. "(He) rallied the troops, calmed them down. He is passionate. He is emotional. He is very appreciative of the opportunity here at Auburn."
Auburn went into the break with an 11-point advantage after Baker-Mazara poured in 18 first-half points on 85.7% shooting. The Bulldogs wouldn't go away, though, and they widdled the deficit all the way down to three with more than nine minutes remaining.
The Tigers went on to close the game on a 37-19 run.
"Chad Baker-Mazara was the best player on the floor tonight," Pearl said. "... (We) trusted him with the ball in his hands as a playmaker. Obviously, he makes shots, gets fouls, makes free throws. He shot seven of the 16 free throws that we had tonight. Made them all."
Baker-Mazara stepped up in a pivotal moment. The Tigers were playing their first SEC game without Jaylin Williams in over 1,100 days, as the fifth-year forward suffered an injury to his right knee Feb. 17 that isn't believed to be season ending, but was severe enough to keep him out of the contest with the Bulldogs.
It had been nearly three years since Baker-Mazara started a game at the Division I level. He made sure to take advantage of the opportunity.
"To be honest, I just realized the guy in front of me couldn't guard me," Baker-Mazara said of his early success. "I told coach, 'Let's take advantage of that.' I'm not the type of guy − I might shoot it if I'm hot, but I'm really trying to look out for other guys. He believed in me today and put the ball in my hands, and thankfully I got to succeed."
Baker-Mazara's heroics, both on and off the court, helped Auburn keep Georgia at bay and avoid what could've been a season-altering road loss. The Tigers have four regular-season tests remaining and are one game back from the top of the SEC standings after Alabama fell at Kentucky on Saturday.
The door is open for Auburn, and Baker-Mazara is a big reason why.
"Look, Johni (Broome's) plus-24. Chad, 23. Aden (Holloway), 23. Those guys started, they started really well, and I felt like with Jaylin Williams not in the starting lineup, I needed more firepower. We got started well and we've started better, so we'll see what happens.
"Tennessee is next, and it's got a lot of championship implications."
Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Chad Baker-Mazara's value to Auburn basketball goes beyond the court
