Auburn’s 6’7″, 180-pound senior gave a touching shout out to his home country as the Tigers, who fell short in the Final Four to the Florida Gators, headed into the tunnel toward the locker room. In that touching moment, fans are wondering what Baker-Mazara said.
Baker-Mazara Sends Love to the Dominican Republic
Baker-Mazara all but ended his college career nobly on Saturday night at the Alamodome in San Antonio. He led the Tigers with 18 points in their 79-73 loss to Florida in the national semifinal.
After the final buzzer sounded and postgame handshakes wrapped up, the third-team All-SEC selection walked off the court and into the tunnel toward the locker room.
But not before sending a heartfelt message home. Vince Wolfram, a basketball analyst for The Field of 68, caught it.
Chad Baker-Mazara leaves the court following Auburn’s loss to Florida in the Final Four
“That was for my island, man” 💔pic.twitter.com/vEG1NtUdD5
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) April 6, 2025
“That was for my island, man,” Baker-Mazara said.
The love was for his homeland, the Dominican Republic. A native of Santo Domingo, Baker-Mazara moved to the United States to live with his grandfather prior to his junior year of high school, according to Auburn’s men’s basketball website.
That was just the beginning of his basketball journey. He played one year of high school basketball at Colonia High School in New Jersey and another at SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio, earning accolades at both.
Baker-Mazara began his college career at Duquesne before transferring to San Diego State, where he was named the Mountain West’s Sixth Man of the Year.
He later spent a season at Northwest Florida State College, averaging a team-high 15.2 points and helping lead the Raiders to the NJCAA national championship game, before finishing his career with two seasons at Auburn.
Is Chad Baker-Mazara’s College Career Over?
While the senior may have played his last game for Auburn, there is an off chance that Baker-Mazara may return to college basketball for another year. Or so he his coach indicated that could be true.
Auburn’s HC Bruce Pearl says Chad Baker-Mazara could potentially return for another year. 👀 pic.twitter.com/WGoG9qU8OY
— College Sports Network (@CFN365) March 16, 2025
Bruce Pearl remarked earlier in the season that Baker-Mazara had yet another year of eligibility and hoped he would return to Auburn.
MORE: The Dunk That Shook the Alamodome
As of the end of the game, however, it felt more like Baker-Mazara had played his final collegiate game.
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