Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl teased the return of Tigers guard Chad Baker-Mazara, and now the superstar senior from the Dominican Republic is dropping hints.
With one more year of eligibility remaining and the college basketball landscape heavily favoring a return, Baker-Mazara could be one of many star players returning to the NCAA pool.
What Does Chad Baker-Mazara’s Tweet Mean for Auburn?
Baker-Mazara quote Tweeted a post by College Sports Network about his possible return to Auburn with eye emojis, refueling speculation among fans, after a Pearl nugget two weeks ago.
— Chad Baker-Mazara (@ChadBaker2700) March 17, 2025
“I don’t mind even talking about this without any kind of appeal: Chad Baker [Mazara] has another year of eligibility,” Pearl said.
“He does because he fits all the criteria. Some of the other guys that have been talked about, I’m not going to specifically reference, but Chad is the one that right now qualifies.”
Under a recent NCAA ruling, athletes who previously competed at the junior college level may be able to extend their eligibility, allowing them to play four full non-JUCO seasons.
The ruling stems from a precedent set by Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who successfully argued his two seasons at the JUCO level should not count against his NCAA eligibility in a December lawsuit.
Baker-Mazara played the 2022-2023 season at Northwest Florida State College, a JUCO in the Panhandle Conference of the Florida State College Activities Association.
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Baker-Mazara has been a crucial part of Auburn’s run to the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, sitting second in scoring for the Tigers at 12.6 points per game behind only national player of the year contender Johni Broome.
He’s added another 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game and led the team in steals with 1.2 per game.
“You put the ball in his hands and he can make plays, he can make plays for others, ” Pearl said.
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