Why JUCO coach says Chad Baker-Mazara will be key piece for Auburn basketball next season

AUBURN — Northwest Florida State College basketball coach Steve DeMeo got lucky. So did Chad Baker-Mazara, but he just didn't know it yet.

DeMeo, who returned to the Raiders in April 2022 after spending a few seasons as an assistant at St. Johns and East Carolina, was the coach at NWF from 2013-19. He led the Raiders to a 170-27 record over that period and left on a streak of five straight Panhandle Conference championships. He's made a living off not only putting players into higher levels of college basketball, but also winning while doing it.

Just because NWF is a junior college doesn't mean DeMeo treats the program like it's worth any less.

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"I think a lot of times high-majors sign a guy and they’re like, ‘Well, why didn’t you run more stuff for him?’ " DeMeo told Montgomery Advertiser this week. "We try to run this like a real team. We don’t just want to cater to one guy. Winning is important to us, as well. I think winning translates everywhere.”

That might've been what Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl was thinking when he offered the 6-foot-7, 190-pound Baker-Mazara a scholarship. Baker-Mazara is presumably Pearl's last big pickup of the offseason, joining transfers Denver Jones (Florida International) and Chaney Johnson (Alabama-Huntsville), along with five-star freshman Aden Holloway out of Prolific Prep in Napa, California.

Baker-Mazara's shooting splits are staggering. He made 48.8% of his shots during his lone season with the Raiders, which included connecting on 46.9% of his triples. DeMeo assured those numbers aren't inflated, either: "We’re all blessed with something in life," DeMeo said. "… He’s blessed as a guy who can make jump shots."

Knowing that, it might be shocking to see Baker-Mazara only averaged 15.2 points per game, which doesn't even crack the top 150 among JUCO players last season. With his efficiency, why wasn't he featured more in the offense, especially at the JUCO level?

“I try to have a balanced roster," DeMeo said. "I don’t like one guy to have 25 or 20 and everyone else scores six. We try to have four or five double-digit scorers. ... We try to balance the roster, we try to get guys to do a little bit of everything. We like versatility and Chad was versatile.

"He defended well, he rebounded well. Not only did he make shots, but he made his free throws. He did a little of everything. He probably could’ve been more of a focal point, but we are a super-talented roster."

DeMeo not only saw Baker-Mazara get lifted into Division I this offseason, but he also helped Kasean Pryor get to South Florida and Marcus Niblack get to Jacksonville. Taryn Todd, who averaged nearly 10 points per game last season, is looking to move up, too.

Even still, DeMeo admitted he "probably should’ve got him (Baker-Mazara) the ball more."

Baker-Mazara was brought in by DeMeo following one season at San Diego State in 2021-22. The wing was forced to leave the Aztecs after he "failed to live up to his academic responsibilities," according to a statement from SDSU coach Brian Dutcher given to the San Diego Union-Tribune in June 2022.

But now back on track, DeMeo has little doubt the star that helped lead his team to the NJCAA title game last season will find success in his return to high-major basketball.

“Coach Pearl and the staff do an unbelievable job of putting guys in positions to be successful," DeMeo said. "I think he’s going to have a chance to be a key player for them, for sure. I always like to look at the best-case and worst-case scenarios, and I think the sky's the limit for Chad because when you can score like he does, there’s not a question in my mind he’s going to be a key piece of that program.”

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Chad Baker-Mazara: What Auburn basketball is getting in JUCO transfer