USC’s reeling basketball team suffered a huge setback Sunday, announcing that star guard Chad Baker-Mazara was no longer a member of the program.
The departure of the team’s top remaining scorer means that the final image of Baker-Mazara in a Trojans uniform will be him limping through the handshake line Saturday after going down with an apparent leg injury in the second half of a loss to No. 12 Nebraska.
Coach Eric Musselman would not specify the nature or severity of Baker-Mazara’s injury after the game.
Baker-Mazara had suffered the injury while chasing down Nebraska’s Pryce Sandfort from behind in transition three minutes into the second half, blocking his shot. Falling hard along the baseline, Baker-Mazara briefly left the court before returning to take a seat near injured teammate Rodney Rice next to fans along the baseline.
Baker-Mazara finished with 14 points as USC faded badly during an 82-67 loss, its fifth consecutive defeat.
The Trojans (18-11, 7-11 Big Ten) are now without their two leading scorers after Rice was lost for the season after only six games because of a shoulder injury.
A graduate student who transferred from Auburn — making USC his fifth school in six seasons after previous stops at Northwest Florida State College, San Diego State and Duquesne — Baker-Mazara averaged 18.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 44.4% and making 38.3% of his 3-pointers.
With Rice out for the season and Baker-Mazara’s departure, USC is now missing a combined 38.9 points and 7.7 rebounds of production.
The Trojans will play at Washington on Wednesday before closing the regular season against UCLA on Saturday at the Galen Center.
