Alabama Announces Signing Basketball Transfer Mark Sears

Guard averaged 19.7 points per game last season for Ohio in the Mid-American Conference.

The Alabama men’s basketball announced that Mark Sears, a 6-1, 185-pound point guard has signed his paperwork to officially join the Crimson Tide men’s basketball program. 

A two-time All-Mid-American Conference performer played the last two years at Ohio University.

Last season, Sears averaged 19.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per contest on his way to being named a finalist for the 2022 Lou Henson Award, which is presented annually to the top mid-major player in the nation. 

He ended the year shooting 44.3 percent from the floor, 40.8 percent from three-point range and 88.5 percent from the free-throw line while earning first team all-district and all-conference honors.

Sears is a native of Muscle Shoals, Ala., playing his first three years of prep basketball at Muscle Shoals High School before transferring to Hargrave Military Academy for his senior year.

“We are excited to welcome Mark and his family to the Alabama basketball program," Crimson Tide coach Nat Oats said in a release. "Our entire staff felt like Mark was one of the best overall guards available in the transfer portal, so we really went after him hard. 

"He is a high-character kid with great basketball feel who is a perfect fit for the way we want to play. He shoots the ball really well, he’s a great decision-maker and is terrific in transition. On top of that, Mark is an Alabama kid who is excited to come back to his home state and play in front of family and friends. I think our fans will have a lot of fun watching him next season and he is a big addition for us.”

Sears chose Alabama over Auburn, Mississippi State, LSU and Florida, among several others.

Transfer Mark Sears

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• Played in 59 games across his two seasons at Ohio University (2020-22), making 40 starts, including all 35 games as a sophomore last season
• Helped lead the Bobcats to a 42-18 (.700) overall record which included a 23-11 (.676) mark in Mid-American Conference play
• Scored 884 career points, including 688 last season alone, and 225 assists shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 38.0 percent from beyond the arc across his two-year career
• As a sophomore in 2021-22, he was a Lou Henson Award finalist, which is given annually to the nation’s top mid-major player
• Finished the year averaging 19.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.7 steals per contest
• A five-time MAC Player of the Week honoree who was named NABC All-District 15 First Team, All-MAC First Team and earned a spot on the MAC All-Tournament Team
• Topped Ohio in three-point shooting (60-of-147, 40.8 percent), while also topping the league in scoring and free throw percentage
• He finished off his impressive sophomore season by scoring a career-high 37 points to go along with seven rebounds in the team’s final game against Abilene Christian in the CBI quarterfinals (3/21/22)
• Scored 20-or-more points in 18 of the team’s 35 games, which included three double-doubles
• Pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds in a game where he scored 22 points and added five assists against Bowling Green (3/1/22)
• In 2020-21, he averaged 8.5 points, 3.4 assists and 1.0 steals as he earned MAC All-Freshman team honors
• Recorded two 20-point games including a season-high 21 points with six assists against Western Michigan (1/26/20)
• Played a key role off the bench in the Bobcats’ two NCAA tournament games averaging 6.0 points and 3.5 rebounds on 18.5 minutes per game