How Auburn basketball coach Corey Williams forged vital relationship with Chad Baker-Mazara

SAN ANTONIO — The antics of Chad Baker-Mazara are well-documented.

The Auburn basketball forward is one of the Tigers' most electrifying players. He's a dynamic play-maker, whether creating shots, finding teammates for vital baskets, or making theatric stops on the defensive end.

But there's another side to his game. He's often emotional. It has certainly gotten under the skin of opponents, but it has also put Baker-Mazara in compromising positions.

His ejection in Auburn's Round of 64 loss to Yale last season was a haunting foreshadow of the result. It happened again this season, getting whistled for a Flagrant 2 in the Tigers' rematch against then-No. 7 Alabama.

None of it has necessarily been a shock to Auburn. The program's coaching staff was forewarned when recruiting him out of Northwest Florida State junior college. In spite of any setbacks, it's clear he's seen as a value.

"Chad's won two SEC championships since he's been here, and now he's helped take us to a Final Four," Auburn associate head coach Steven Pearl told the Montgomery Advertiser. "So, people can gripe about the couple times where he messes up, but my God, he's won 49 games in two years at Auburn.

"Like, come on. Let's stop concentrating on the one or two times he's had slip-ups, and let's celebrate all the good basketball he's played for us. ... We're not quitting on Chad, and Chad's not quitting on us. I think it's paid off."

The lack of quit is evident in Baker-Mazara's sizable role, sure. But one can look down Auburn's bench and see the program's invest in another form. Corey Williams has been on Bruce Pearl's Auburn staff as long as Baker-Mazara's been with the program. In that time, the pair have cultivated a relationship that's brought them close as kin.

"He's really my pops out here," Baker-Mazara told the Advertiser. "Like, my connection with him is just a little different than everybody else. I love to dude to heart, and he just always wants the best for me, and I want the best for him."

Both Baker-Mazara and Williams said their closeness began last season, but Baker-Mazara recalled a crucial juncture. While he declined to go into detail, Baker-Mazara said he got in some trouble. He was set to talk to Bruce Pearl and likely face some consequences.

Then Williams stepped him, after asking Bruce Pearl if he could deal with Baker-Mazara personally.

"He came and told me, he was like, 'Dude, I believe in you,'" Baker-Mazara said. "'I know you've been down in your life, but I've dealt with guys like you before,' and you know, he does a great job."

Williams echoed that, telling the Advertiser: "I understand Chad. I know what buttons not to mash. I know when I need to mash those buttons, and he trusts me."

Trust is key. Williams said as much, as did Bruce Pearl when asked to explain the pair's relationship. Like any level of trust, it has come with time.

"We spend more time together than any player on this team," Williams said. "He knows that, every day, I have to make sure there's no issues, that his mind's right, that he's focused — and he just trusts me. His family trusts me, his dad trusts me. They know that I'm going to take care of him, but at the same time, I'm going to hold you accountable and responsible."

Most of Williams' days start with a text to Baker-Mazara; usually something spiritual, he said. Then it's a conversation: "Where are you at?" Williams said. "Where are you supposed to be? Let's make sure we're there."

"I don't let up," Williams added. "I've done it so long that he hugs me and says, 'My other dad.' It's pretty cool."

Now, Baker-Mazara's averaging a career-high 12.2 points for the Tigers. He's been vital in stretches this season, including a 17-point performance against Creighton in the Round of 32.

In a way, much of it comes back to Williams, who sees his role with Baker-Mazara and the program as bigger than basketball.

"For me, God reminds me that he placed me here to serve, and this is a part of my service to Coach Pearl and our staff, and to our players," Williams said. "I need to be there and help them navigate some of this stuff that they're going through, in the right tone, having the right perspective, and giving the right advice."

Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email atacole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter,@colereporter.