Chad Baker-Mazara made a 3-pointer just 14 seconds after he entered the game against Utah State last Wednesday. He finished with 15 points in 16 minutes. Made 5 of 9 shots, 3 of 5 beyond the arc. Had two steals and a block. The Aztecs were even with him on the floor on a night when they lost by a season-worst 18 points and other perimeter players were minus-16, minus-19 and minus-25.
It was easily the 6-foot-7 sophomore wing’s best game at SDSU since transferring from Duquesne last spring.
He was in tears afterward.
His teammates consoled him. They also knew that’s just Chad. He’s ionate. He’s fiery. He’s spicy. He’s emotional. He tells the story about his father, Derek Baker, making a game-winning shot in a Dominican Republic pro league and celebrating by mooning the opposing bench.
Baker-Mazara hasn’t mooned anybody — yet — but he’s been as edgy and emotive as d, growing up in the DR and coming to the States only three years ago. “We Dominicans,” Baker-Mazara said after arriving at SDSU, “when we do something, we’re really into it. We give a little extra, probably too much sometimes.”
Two nights earlier against UNLV, he had a technical foul (for taunting) and flagrant foul (for swinging an elbow) minutes apart in the second half. The game before that, he didn’t play after an undisclosed non-COVID medical situation. In the fall, he was regularly disciplined for missing class or skipping weights.
One day, he’s running the stairs in Viejas Arena as punishment.
The next, he’s pushing a towel across the JAM Center floor. (Try it, it’s not fun.)
The next, out on the track running sprints with fitness coach Justin Landry.
The next, he’s not at practice because he’s making up a tutoring session.
“It’s been a roller coaster,” Baker-Mazara said. “You think you’re OK, then the next thing you know, something else hits. I always try to keep my head up and stay positive. If I’m on the court, I do my best. If I’m on the bench, I’ll be the biggest cheerleader for my guys. I’m just glad I’m still able to get on the court with my brothers.”
At UNLV on Jan. 1, he subbed in and immediately gave up a layup on an inbounds play, then turned it over at the other end. Coach Brian Dutcher angrily burned a timeout to scream at him loud enough to echo through the half-empty arena.
Baker-Mazara returned to the court and, not 10 seconds later, poked away a steal for an uncontested dunk. He finished with 11 points, nine in the second half, that helped the short-handed Aztecs to a 62-55 win in their Mountain West opener.
Joked Dutcher: “I told him after the game: ‘Chad, I know you’re used to me yelling at you, so I knew it wasn’t going to take you out of your game.’”
Which is the point. The Aztecs need his energy, need his emotion, need his fire … if they can harness it. Former SDSU assistant coach Justin Hutson used to put it like this when evaluating especially emotional high school prospects: “You want them to warm the house but not burn it down.”
As the fourth-place Aztecs reach a crucial stretch of the conference schedule, hosting New Mexico on tonight, Baker-Mazara has emerged as the No. 2 scoring option behind Cal transfer Matt Bradley. After averaging 3.8 points and shooting 40.1 percent through his first 11 games this season, he’s at 10.5 points and 57.7 percent in the last four.
He’s one of only 15 players in Division I this season — and the only underclassman — to average at least 15.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.4 blocks when statistics are extrapolated over 40 minutes. He also leads SDSU in the advanced metric of win shares per 40 minutes at .201. Bradley is next at .182.
“Chad has a pop to his game, we can all see that,” Dutcher said. “He makes plays, whether he’s just gliding down the floor on the break or he makes that for a layup. Chad has tremendous offensive ability. … But as much as he scores and you say, ‘We need the offense,’ he’s got to play at both ends of the floor if he’s going to continue to grow his game.
“Even though he’s a second-year college player, he’s a freshman in our program and there are responsibilities at the defensive end that you have to meet. And if you do those, I’ll let you play at the offensive end.”
His commitment to on-ball perimeter defense has improved. He still struggles to guard stronger, thicker posts (he’s listed, generously, at 190 pounds). And his off-ball awareness, such an important component of their defensive schemes, is sometimes deficient and can lead to overall breakdowns.
“I feel like I’ve matured with my game,” Baker-Mazara said. “It’s not just things you do with the ball, but what you do off the ball. Especially defensively, I’ve learned a lot. That’s my biggest step up as a player. I’ll be honest: I’ve never really played much defense in my life until this year. I’m glad I came to this program, because that’s what I feel I was lacking the most as a player.”
And his maturity off the court?
“Just taking care and being more responsible,” Baker-Mazara said. “The coaches are always saying, ‘We believe in you. It’s not just on the court. You’re not just a basketball player. We want you to succeed in life, too.’ I feel like I’ve been listening to them lately and taking care of priorities, being more able to them so they can trust me more on the court.”
He was speaking after the 75-57 loss at Utah State and his eyes were still swollen and red. He had his best game as an Aztec. Didn’t matter. They lost. Lost big.
“Glad for them, they got the W,” Baker-Mazara said, the fire returning to his eyes. “Now they have to come to Viejas. We’re not going to forget about this, I’ll tell you that.”
He provided a reminder a few hours later on Twitter. All it said was: “Feb. 15.”
