SAN DIEGO – Chad Baker-Mazara, a 6-7 wing, has signed a Grant-in-Aid to officially become a member of the San Diego State men's basketball program, head coach Brian Dutcher announced today. Baker, who will be a sophomore in the upcoming season and will have four years of eligibility, will compete for the Aztecs starting in the 2021-22 season.
A native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Baker-Mazara competed at Duquesne University in the 2020-21 season where he averaged 9.5 points and 2.9 rebounds in 24.4 minutes per game.
A starter in 13 of his 15 appearances last season, he shot a team-high 41.7 percent (25-of-60) from distance, which was the second highest freshman 3-point shooting percentage in that program's history. Overall, he was 46-of-105 (43.8 percent) from the floor and made 26-of-32 (81.3 percent) free throws.
In a total of 366 minutes, he added 17 assists, 15 steals and 13 blocked shots. His 13 blocks were the second highest on the team. Baker-Mazara reached double figure scoring four times, twice cracking the 20-point plateau, including a season-high 23 points at Fordham (1/27). In that Fordham game, he hit seven three pointers, becoming just the third freshman in Duquesne history to make at least seven treys in a game. His averages per 40 minutes played are 15.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks.
In his best game with the Dukes, he went 5-of-7 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, was 8-of-9 from the line and grabbed six rebounds, had three blocks, three steals and two assists in an 86-75 victory over Rhode Island (2/27). Baker-Mazara earned the Atlantic-10 Conference Rookie of the Week honor on Jan. 25 after averaging 11.5 points, 3.5 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals in a pair of games. Earlier in the season, he was 5-of-5 from the bonus distance and scored a game-high 19 points vs. Rhode Island (1/20). That 5-of-5 performance beyond the arc was the best by a Duke and Duquesne freshman since the 2016-17 season.
After graduating from high school and prior to enrolling at Duquesne, Baker-Mazara spent one year at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. He led the team to a 23-4 record, including a run of 20 consecutive wins. SPIRE finished the regular season ranked No. 8 in the nation and was one of 14 teams to qualify for the 2020 National Prep Championship.
As a two-year attendee of Colonia (N.J.) High School, after moving to the United States prior to his junior year, he led the team to back-to-back Greater Middlesex Conference tournament semifinal appearances. As a senior he averaged 18.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.7 blocks and was named the 2018-19 Home News Tribune Boys Basketball Player of the Year. The team went 24-5, won the White Division title of the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC), and reached the GMC tournament semifinal game. In addition, the team won the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North 2 Group III section crown. Following the season Baker was selected to compete in the New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Association Senior Boys All-Star and Greater Middlesex Conference Basketball Coaches Association Senior All-Star Boys games.
This past season, the Aztecs won their conference-leading 14th Mountain West championship, eighth of the regular season and sixth tournament title, finished the regular season with a 23-4 record and earned a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament.
San Diego State is expected to return starters Nathan Mensah and Trey Pulliam, as well as significant contributors Lamont Butler, Keshad Johnson, Adam Seiko and Joshua Tomaic. Baker-Mazara joins transfers Tahirou Diabate, Matt Bradley, and incoming freshman Demarshay Johnson Jr., as new faces who will compete in the 2021-22 season for the Aztecs. Jaedon LeDee, who has also transferred to SDSU, will spend the upcoming year as a redshirt and will compete for SDSU starting in the 2022-23 school year.
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