The No. 14 Auburn Tigers defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 97-76 on the road in a convincing fashion.
Following the game, what was Auburn forward Chad Baker-Mazara saying?
In this game, Baker-Mazara was participating with a purpose. His high school coach recently passed away.
“There was a lot of it. He’s been a person who has always supported me ever since I walked into Colonia, my high school,” Baker-Mazara remarked. “He only gave me some assistance when I went to SPIRE. For example, if I was hungry one day and didn’t have any money, I would merely say, “Coach, could you help me?” Even now, he would still do tiny things like that.”
He would randomly text or contact me until he died away, saying things like, “Hey, stop flopping.” Things like that, and advising me on how to improve. It caught me off guard. I’d heard he suffered from seizures and similar conditions. He was young for his age, thirty years old. When he was my age, he was coaching me. It caught me off guard, and I believe it ignited a spark within me.”
Baker-Mazra discussed Aden Holloway’s performance in this particular game.
“I tell him every day, even if he goes 0-for-15, I’m like, ‘Aden, I see you make this shot every day, so keep shooting,” said Baker-Mazara. I don’t mind if you’re completely exposed. I think you’re going to succeed if you let the ball go out of your hands. Furthermore, he is a freshman and is still getting used to this game, particularly because SEC play differs slightly from out of conference play. As I mentioned earlier, he had an incredible comeback game today. Hopefully, it maintains his self-assurance and he continues.”
Speaking on what he witnessed from Chaney Johnson during this game was Baker-Mazara.
“To be honest, Chaney started our first preseason game, if you think about it,” Baker-Mazra stated. “It was nothing novel at all. We anticipated his arrival. Since confidence was key in this game, we knew Chaney had it in him. We were rolling at the half because we couldn’t miss a shot. If the boys continue to play and play in that manner, I think we can do some really amazing things, especially if they keep doing unique things like that.”
