Musselman silent on sudden exit of star Baker-Mazara
This article was originally written for the Daily Trojan, published March 6, 2026.
USC reportedly dismissed the graduate guard due to an “accumulation of issues.”
Graduate guard Chad Baker-Mazara reposted an X post that expressed shock at the lack of explanation for his dismissal. He is pictured Jan. 31. (Ethan Thai / Daily Trojan)
Men’s basketball Head Coach Eric Musselman had no comment on the dismissal of the team’s leading scorer, graduate guard Chad Baker-Mazara, following Wednesday’s loss to Washington, according to the Associated Press.
In the days since Sunday, when USC announced that Baker-Mazara was no longer a member of the program, few reasons for the split have been revealed, beyond the Los Angeles Times’ reporting that the dismissal stemmed from an “accumulation of issues” rather than a singular incident. On Sunday, team spokesperson Kristen Keller told AP that the program had “nothing additional to add at this time,” in a text message.
The departure is a significant blow to an injury-riddled team that has all but fallen out of NCAA Tournament contention following six consecutive losses since the Trojans’ last win on Feb. 8 against Penn State. With only the Big Ten Tournament left to salvage any realistic postseason case, USC now faces the prospect of entering its most consequential stretch of the season without the player who carried much of its offense.
Baker-Mazara was leading the Trojans with 18.5 points per game this season and was also one of the team’s top perimeter threats, shooting 38.1% from beyond the arc with a team-high 61 3-pointers.
The 26-year-old Auburn transfer had emerged as USC’s primary offensive option after junior guard Rodney Rice suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in late November and freshman guard Alijah Arenas struggled with efficiency upon his return from a knee injury in late January.
The graduate guard’s exit marked another turbulent chapter in a college career that has spanned five programs in six seasons. By the time USC signed Baker-Mazara last spring, Musselman knew he was bringing in a proven scorer with a long history of volatility — including a prior dismissal at San Diego State University and disciplinary flare-ups at Auburn. Musselman all but foreshadowed the risk last May, putting it succinctly: “There will never be a dull moment.”
The dismissal drew public frustration from former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, Alijah Arenas’ father. In a since-deleted video posted to X, Gilbert Arenas criticized the decision to part ways with Baker-Mazara because of its proximity to the postseason.
“Right before a tournament, this is what we doing,” Gilbert Arenas said in the video. “Our best player, ‘Mr. I Get Buckets.’ Every night. He brings it every night … Damn. We supposed to be playing in the tournament, man. Now we gotta watch this junior varsity-ass team playing by them goddamn selves.”
Baker-Mazara has also appeared to indirectly respond to speculation through multiple interactions on social media.
On Monday, the former Trojan reposted an X post that read, “Kinda shocked that we still don’t know why Chad Baker-Mazara was dismissed from USC,” without any further explanation. He also reposted Trojan junior wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane’s X post that provided even less context: “Someone always is going to have something to say about you! The real question is will you feed into it or will you stay true to who you are!” Baker-Mazara also reposted the senior Arenas’ video as an Instagram Reel, accompanied by just two face-palming emojis.
The Baker-Mazara-less Trojans will take on crosstown rival UCLA in their regular-season finale Saturday at Galen Center at 6 p.m. before they take on the Big Ten Tournament, where they will likely have to win at least a game or two to sneak into the NCAA Tournament bracket.
