Mark Sears
{{short description|American basketball player}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Mark Sears
| image = Mark Sears.jpg
| caption = Sears with Alabama in 2023
| number = 1
| position = Point guard
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 1
| weight_lbs = 190
| team = Alabama Crimson Tide
| league = Southeastern Conference
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2002|2|19}}
| birth_place = Muscle Shoals, Alabama, U.S.
| high_school =
| college =
| highlights =
- Consensus first-team All-American (2025)
- Consensus second-team All-American (2024)
- 2× First-team All-SEC (2024, 2025)
- Second-team All-SEC (2023)
- First-team All-MAC (2022)
- MAC All-Freshman Team (2021)
}}
Mark Christopher Sears (born February 19, 2002) is an American college basketball player for the Alabama Crimson Tide of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). He previously played for the Ohio Bobcats.
High school career
Sears began his high school career at Muscle Shoals High School in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. As a junior in February 2019, he recorded 31 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in a 64–52 win over Bessemer City High School in the Class 6A Northwest Regional championship.{{cite news |last1=Boyette |first1=Daniel |title=Muscle Shoals 64, Bessemer City 52: Trojans return to state for 1st time in 3 years |url=https://www.al.com/sports/2019/02/muscle-shoals-64-bessemer-city-52-trojans-return-to-state-for-1st-time-in-3-years.html |access-date=February 17, 2022 |work=AL.com |date=February 20, 2019}} In 2019, he transferred to Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia.{{cite news |last1=Thomas |first1=Craig |title=Former Muscle Shoals star Mark Sears transferring to Hargrave Military Academy |url=https://www.timesdaily.com/sports/high_school/former-muscle-shoals-star-mark-sears-transferring-to-hargrave-military-academy/article_a752db9d-40eb-5485-a6b8-084edd99961b.html |access-date=February 17, 2022 |work=TimesDaily |date=August 19, 2019}} As a senior, Sears averaged 14 points, three assists and five rebounds per game and helped lead Hargrave to the Final 4 of the National Prep Championship with a 37–4 overall record. He committed to playing college basketball for Ohio.{{cite web |title=Ohio Men's Basketball Set for Season Opening Multi-Team Event at Illinois |url=https://ohiobobcats.com/news/2020/11/24/11_24_2020_202 |website=Ohio Bobcats |access-date=February 16, 2022 |date=November 24, 2020}}
College career
=Ohio=
As a freshman, Sears came off the bench and began to see more minutes after Jason Preston was sidelined with a leg injury. Sears averaged 8.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, earning MAC All-Freshman Team honors.{{cite web |last1=Harkins |first1=Lukas |title=Ohio Basketball: Mark Sears set for sophomore breakout to lead Bobcats |url=https://heatcheckcbb.com/ohio-basketball-mark-sears-set-for-sophomore-breakout/ |website=Heat Check CBB |access-date=February 16, 2022 |date=September 2, 2021}} After Preston declared for the 2021 NBA draft following the season, Sears was named the team's starting point guard going into his sophomore season. In the offseason, he worked on improving his shooting by attempting 15,000 three-point shots.{{cite news |last1=Gleckler |first1=Jack |title=Men's Basketball: How Mark Sears stepped into his role as a starter |url=https://www.thepostathens.com/article/2022/01/ohio-bobcats-mens-basketball-mark-sears-growth-in-the-starting-role |access-date=February 16, 2022 |work=The Post |date=January 20, 2022}} On December 21, 2021, Sears scored 33 points in an 85–70 win over USC Upstate.{{cite news |title=Sears carries Ohio over South Carolina Upstate 85-70 |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401373007 |access-date=February 16, 2022 |work=ESPN |agency=Associated Press |date=December 21, 2021}} He scored a career-high 37 points on March 21, 2022, in a 91–86 loss to Abilene Christian in the College Basketball Invitational.{{cite news |title=Abilene Christian fends off scrappy Ohio in College Basketball Invitational quarterfinals |url=https://www.reporternews.com/story/sports/college/acu/basketball-men/2022/03/21/abilene-christian-overcomes-ohio-college-basketball-invitational/7123843001/ |access-date=March 22, 2022 |work=Abilene Reporter-News |date=March 21, 2022}} Sears was named to the First Team All-MAC after the 2021–22 season.{{cite press release|url=https://getsomemaction.com/news/2022/3/9/2021-22-mens-basketball-postseason-awards-announced.aspx|title=2021-22 Men's Basketball Postseason Awards Announced|publisher=Mid-American Conference |date=March 8, 2022 |accessdate=March 8, 2022}} As a sophomore, he averaged 19.6 points, six rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. On March 30, 2022, Sears entered the transfer portal.{{cite news |title=Men's Basketball: Mark Sears enters transfer portal|first=Jack|last=Gleckler|url=https://www.thepostathens.com/article/2022/03/ohio-bobcats-mens-basketball-mark-sears-enters-transfer-portal |access-date=April 8, 2022 |work=The Post |date=March 30, 2022}}
=Alabama=
On April 8, 2022, Sears announced that he had committed to Alabama.{{cite web |title=Alabama basketball lands Ohio transfer Mark Sears |url=https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/story/sports/college/basketball/2022/04/07/alabama-basketball-lands-ohio-transfer-mark-sears/9505019002/|first=Nick|last=Kelly|website=Tuscaloosanews.com |access-date=April 8, 2022 |date=April 8, 2022}} He averaged 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Sears was named to the Second Team All-SEC. Following the season, he declared for the 2023 NBA draft before returning to Alabama for his senior year.{{cite news |last1=Taylor |first1=Cody |title=Alabama guard Mark Sears to withdraw from draft, return for senior year |url=https://therookiewire.usatoday.com/2023/05/30/alabama-mark-sears-nba-draft-withdraw-deadline/ |access-date=July 28, 2023 |work=The Rookie Wire |date=May 30, 2023}}
Career statistics
{{NBA player statistics legend}}
=College=
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21
| style="text-align:left;"| Ohio
| 24 || 5 || 19.5 || .467 || .279 || .851 || 2.8 || 3.4 || 1.0 || .0 || 8.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2021–22
| style="text-align:left;"| Ohio
| 35 || 35 || 35.7 || .444 || .408 || .884 || 6.0 || 4.1 || 1.7 || .1 || 19.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2022–23
| style="text-align:left;"| Alabama
| 37 || 37 || 29.8 || .406 || .345 || .847 || 3.5 || 2.6 || 1.2 || .1 || 12.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2023–24
| style="text-align:left;"| Alabama
| 37 || 37 || 33.6 || .508 || .436 || .857 || 4.2 || 4.0 || 1.6 || .1 || 21.5
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 133 || 114 || 30.6 || .460 || .389 || .863 || 4.2 || 3.5 || 1.4 || .1 || 16.2
{{S-end}}
Personal life
Sears is the son of Chad and Lameka Sears.{{cite web |title=Mark Sears |url=https://rolltide.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/mark-sears/9057 |access-date=4 April 2024}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://rolltide.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/mark-sears/9057 Alabama Crimson Tide bio]
- [https://ohiobobcats.com/sports/mbball/roster/mark-sears/2676 Ohio Bobcats bio]
{{2024 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans}}
{{2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sears, Mark}}
Category:21st-century American sportsmen
Category:Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball players
Category:All-American college men's basketball players
Category:American men's basketball players
Category:Basketball players from Alabama
Category:Hargrave Military Academy alumni
Category:Ohio Bobcats men's basketball players