*USC head coach Eric Musselman lofts the Wayne Duke Trophy after his team's 88-75 win over Arizona State in the Southwest Maui Invitational championship game at Lahaina Civic Center.*

By MATTHEW THAYER

Chad Baker-Mazara's second time playing in the Southwest Maui Invitational was just as charmed as the first.

The 6-foot-7 forward out of the Dominican Republic scored 23 points while leading University of California to an 88-75 win over Arizona State University in Wednesday's championship game at Lahaina Civic Center in Lahaina. Baker-Mazara was moved to tears at center court after being named the college basketball tournament's Most Valuable Player.

USC's Chad Baker-Mazara shares a smile with teammate Amarion Dickerson in the final minute of Wednesday's 88-75 win over Arizona State in the Southwest Maui Invitational championship game at Lahaina Civic Center.

Following last year's title game, Baker-Mazara helped loft the Maui Invitational's Wayne Duke championship trophy as a member of the powerful Auburn team that went on to make the Final Four. He is the only player in Maui Invitational history to win two tournament titles, let alone do it in two consecutive years with two different teams.

USC head coach Eric Musselman joked that the lure of a trip to Maui is what prompted the heavily-recruited Baker-Mazara to sign with the Trojans.

*USC's Jacob Cofie throws down a first-half dunk Wednesday against Arizona State.*

"That's the only way we got him," Musselman said in his postgame press conference Wednesday. "As soon as we told him we were going to Maui, he said, 'I commit.'"

Baker-Mazara said it was true.

"No, it was funny, when Coach told me that we was going to Maui, I literally asked him and Ruta (assistant coach Anthony Ruta), has anybody won it back to back? He told me no, and I actually did (commit)."

*USC's Amarion Dickerson puts up a second-half shot between Arizona State's Santiago Truet (right) and Massamba Diop Wednesday.*

In this era of NIL (name, image, likeness) deals and transfer portals, college players can change teams like never before. They are also getting paid enough to bring family members to Maui, as Baker-Mazara did this week. His parents, Carmen Mazara and Derrek Baker, were in the gym, as was his personal photographer, a fellow student he reportedly hired and brought along with him to USC from Auburn.

USC's Chad Baker-Mazara lofts the Southwest Maui Invitational Most Valuable Player perpetual trophy at Lahaina Civic Center after his team's 88-75 win over Arizona State in Wednesday's championship game.

Tourney MVP Chad Baker-Mazara is overcome with emotion after receiving the award. He not only led the game in scoring with 23 points Wednesday, he became the first player to ever win two Maui Invitational titles. He won last year as part of Auburn's championship team.

Amid this NIL landscape, news broke this week that the Las Vegas Players Era tournament signed a $50 million, six-year NIL deal with the Big 12. That early season tourney is slated to expand to a 32-team, three-week format next year. Big 12 teams will have eight automatic bids in the tourney with a guaranteed $1 million in NIL money per team each year.

*Arizona State's Maurice Odum drives against USC's Jacob Cofie in the first half Wednesday.*

Every coach to sit before a press room microphone was probably asked the same question. How does that deal affect the Maui Invitational? The answers seemed to range from that is yet to be seen, to, it would be hard to turn down that kind of money.

In the old days, a trip to Maui was seen as a key recruiting tool. What basketball crazy kid hasn't stayed up late to watch big-time teams slug it out in a cracker box of a gym and dreamed that someday they would play there? Former tourney MVP Bobby Hurley, who is now head coach of Arizona State was quoted as how he loved his time playing in the Lahaina gym that reminded him of some of the high school gyms he played in before going on to star at Duke and play in the NBA.

Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley calls out to his players during Tuesday's 100-94 semi-final win over Washington State. Hurley was named the tournament MVP in 1992 when he was a player with the Duke team that won the title that year.

“It's been special both as a player and coach to be here and feel the energy in the building," Hurley said Wednesday. "It's just different, and it's unique. Our fan base, I can't thank them enough. That was maybe as loud a couple of days of cheering that I've ever had at Arizona State, just in terms of our fan base just being locked into these games and really supporting our team. It was a lot of fun to be here and share that."

Musselman said Maui still carries weight in this changing landscape.

*USC head coach Eric Musselman, 5-foot-7, stands next to 7-foot-5 center Gabe Dynes as he waits to enter Tuesday's game.*

"I used it in the recruiting for this year's team," Musselman said Wednesday. "I told the guys, we have a chance to go to Maui and how great it is and how cool it is for your families to come, and with the name, image, and likeness now, we had almost every family–each player was represented by a family member, which maybe four or five years ago, that didn't happen. But now with name, image, and likeness, that's one of the huge benefits is just to walk to the pool and just see everybody's family out there.

"And the weather has been perfect. For us, for USC, it was a perfect trip. I can tell you that."

USC's Chad Baker-Mazara is hugged by mom Carmen Mazara following Tuesday's 100-94 semi-final win over Washington State. Baker-Mazara's parents did not get to come to last year's tournament when he won the title with Auburn. He said he was special to have them in the gym this year.

Baker-Mazara said it was a treat to have his family along for his record-setting ride.

"Being able to have my parents here is incredible," he said. "We're from all over the other side of the world, so being able to have them here makes it a little bit more special."

The only ranked team to play in this year's tourney was North Carolina State, which suffered an opening round loss to a scrappy Seaton Hall team, 85-74. NC State came back Tuesday to beat Boise State, 81-70, and played Texas in the consolation final Wednesday to see which team flew home with two wins on Maui and who went home with two losses. Texas had the happier flight, winning 102-97.

In Wednesday's third place game, Seton Hall cruised past Washington State, 75-61. Boise State topped host Chaminade for seventh place, 102-76.

Baker-Mazara leads USC to Maui Invitational title

Maui County Fair makes a comeback