USC forward Chad Baker-Mazara made his name known at the NCAA tournament last season by helping Auburn make its second Final Four appearance in school history. He scored 18 points while adding four steals and one block against Florida.
After Auburn lost to Florida in the semifinal, Baker-Mazara transferred to USC. Born in the Dominican Republic, Baker-Mazara was inspired by two basketball figures, his father, a former player for the Dominican national team, and the late legend Kobe Bryant.
“Apart from my dad, Kobe was one of the reasons I took up basketball,” Baker-Mazara told the Los Angeles Times. “It was one of my dreams for him to come and see me play. It didn’t happen, but I feel like he’s here in spirit. This is his city. This is Kobe Bryant.”
Chad Baker-Mazara, who was recently named the MVP of the Maui Invitational, seems to be fitting pretty well as a Trojan. He headlines Our Esquina’s Top Latinos to watch in men’s college basketball.
Another stop for Chad Baker-Mazara
Chad Baker-Mazara, Foward, USC
Chad Baker-Mazara has climbed the ranks throughout his career. He began his freshman year at Duquesne, finishing the 2020-2021 season ranked third in the A-10 in 3-point percentage (41.7). The following year at San Diego State, he earned Mountain West Conference Sixth Man of the Year honors.
After one junior college season at Northwest Florida State College, he spent two years at Auburn, making two NCAA Tournament appearances. In his final season for the Tigers the 6-foot-7 forward was a Julius Irving Small Forward of the Year Award finalist, averaging 12.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.
As a graduate student, Baker-Mazara has already set a new career scoring high twice. He scored 26 points against Manhattan on Nov. 9. He topped that mark with 34 points in a triple-overtime thriller against Troy.
No. 2 Yaxel Lendenborg, Forward, Michigan
Yaxel Lendenborg, who was named to the Naismith Karl Malone Award watch list, has accomplished a lot in his college career. Before he transferred to Michigan for his senior season, the 6-foot-7 forward spent two years at UAB.
In both seasons as a Blazer, he averaged a double-double, earned All-American Conference first-team honors. He was also the American Conference Defensive Player of the year twice.
In his first season as a Wolverine he averaged a team-high 16 points and 7.6 rebounds.
Cream Abdul Jamar
No. 3 Robbie Avila, Center, SLU
SLU senior center Robbie Avila was named to the Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year watch list. He was nicknamed “Cream Abdul Jabbar,” while playing at Indiana State as a freshman and sophomore. Avila transferred to St. Louis University prior to his junior season.
In his first season as a Billiken, he averaged 17.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game last season to earn a spot on the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award watch list.
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The 6-foot-10 Mexican American has an exceptional ability to read defenses and scan the floor, which sets him apart from others at the center position. Last season at St. Louis University, he led all centers in NCAA basketball in assists per game (4.0). He has averaged 12.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3 assists this season.
No. 4 Victor Valdes, Forward, Troy
As a sophomore at Troy, Victor Valdes started only three games and averaged just 4.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists over 34 appearances. The 6-foot-7 forward from Monterrey, Mexico, has shown much improvement in his junior season.
Valdes is averaging 16.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists this season. The scoring increase is encouraging. He has already surpassed the 20-point mark in three games. Last season his season-high was 15 points.
Hall of Fame bloodlines
No. 5 Kiyan Anthony, Guard, Syracuse
Kiyan Anthony, the son of Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony, established himself as a top recruit by competing in high-level basketball throughout his high school career at Long Island Lutheran, where he averaged 15.4 points as a senior. He earned a place at the Jordan Classic All-Star Game, where he dropped 26 points and five rebounds.
The 6-foot-5 guard chose to follow the college footsteps of his father and NBA Hall of Famer Carmelo, who led the Orange to their only NCAA tournament championship in 2003.
Kyan Anthony is now seeking to create his own chapter at Syracuse. The true freshman averages 11.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists a game.
No. 6 Johnuel “Boogie” Fland, Guard, Florida
Johnuel “Boogie” Fland was a highly recruited prospect out of high school in 2024. He was a McDonald’s All-American. Fland also won the New York MaxPreps High School Boys Basketball Player of the Year award.
Fland stepped into a significant role as a true freshman for Arkansas, starting the first 18 games of the season before missing the rest of the regular season with an injured thumb. He averaged 13.5 points and 5.1 rebounds.
The Dominican American guard transferred to Florida for his sophomore season. He has become a defensive force, averaging 1.7 steals and 12 points per game. He had four steals against Florida State and three against Arizona.
Reigning CAA Player of the Year
No. 7 Tyler Tejada, Forward, Towson
Tyler Tejada is coming off his best season for the Towson Tigers. As a sophomore, the 6-foot-9 forward started 25 games and averaged 16.7 points. He almost led Towson to its first NCAA tournament appearance since 1991.
Tejada was the first Towson Tiger named CAA Player of the Year since 2014. He also was an All-CAA First Team and a finalist for the 2024-2025 Lou Henson Award, which is given to the top player who plays outside of the Power Five conferences. The junior forward is averaging a team-high 18.6 points and 6 rebounds.
No. 8 Isaac Taveras, Guard, Southern Miss
Isaac Taveras, a highly skilled 6-foot-6 guard from the Dominican Republic, shone in his final year at North Florida Educational Institute. He was the Duval Sports Boys Basketball Player of the Year, which is given to the top high school player in the Jacksonville area, after averaging 22.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.7 steals.
After not starting a game as a freshman at Fresno State, Taveras led South Plains Junior College to the NJCAA Championship semifinal. Now as a junior at Southern Miss he’s made an immediate impact. In his Golden Eagle debut against Buffalo, he scored 28 points. Through seven games he averages 17.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Elite shot blocker
No. 9 Owen Aquino, Forward, High Point
Owen Aquino, a 6-foot-8 forward with Dominican heritage, has become an elite shot blocker. As a junior, he started 35 games for Liberty, where he led the team in blocks (39).
For his senior year he transferred to High Point. He leads the team with eight blocks while also averaging 7.6 points and 4.9 rebounds.
No. 10 Daniel Rivera, Forward, UAB
Daniel Rivera, who is from San Juan, Puerto Rico, has made a lasting impression on every program he has played for throughout his college career. As a freshman, he led Bryant with 73 blocks and was second on the team with 266 rebounds.
After transferring to UMass for his sophomore year, he led the Minutemen in rebounding (216) and finished second in blocks (42).
In seven games this season, the senior leads UAB with nine blocks. He is averaging 10.7 points per game. His strong defensive presence has helped the Blazers limit opponents to a .425 field goal percentage, which ranks second in the American Athletic Conference.
3-point threat
No. 11 Melo Sanchez, Guard, Central Connecticut
Melo Sanchez established himself as a 3-point threat early in his college career. During his freshman season at Hawaii Pacific, he led the PacWest Conference in 3-point percentage (.461) and ranked seventh in all of Division II.
After spending his junior season with Arkansas, where he appeared in only two games, the 6-foot-4 Mexican American guard transferred to Central Connecticut. Sanchez continues to be a threat behind the arc. He leads the team with 13 3-pointers.
No. 12 All Wright, Guard, Xavier
All Wright, who was born in Durango, Mexico, and raised in Missouri, made an impact right away as a freshman at Valparaiso. He was the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year Award and earned a spot on the MVC All-Freshman Team.
In 31 starts for the Beacons, he scored 20-plus points 13 times and broke the Valparaiso freshman scoring record with a 32-point game against Indiana State.
The 6-foot-3 guard transferred to Xavier after his freshman year. He averages 11.3 points and leads the Musketeers in three-point percentage (54.1).
Another Arenas in college
No. 13 Alijah Arenas, Guard, USC
Alijah Arenas is a five-star recruit coming off an historic high school basketball career at Chatsworth high school. He is the all-time leading scorer in CIF LA City Section history, scoring 3,002 points in just three seasons. The son of Gilbert Arenas is 14th on California’s all-time scoring list.
He was a 2025 McDonald’s All-American after leading Chatsworth to a State Regional title as a senior, averaging 29.3 points in his final season with the Chancellors.
The 6-foot-5 guard committed to USC in January. He is yet to suit up for the Trojans this season as he recovers from a knee injury he sustained in July.
