Mark Sears Sets Alabama Basketball Single-Season Scoring Record

The senior guard secured the highest-scoring season in program history with his performance against North Carolina in the Sweet 16.

Mar 24, 2024; Spokane, WA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears (1) dribbles the all defense / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

LOS ANGELES — Mark Sears made Alabama basketball history on Thursday night, passing Reggie King to set the program record for most points in a season.

Sears needed 16 points going into Thursday's game against 1-seed North Carolina. He surpassed that mark with a layup in the second half, giving him 748 points on the season.

A native of Muscle Shoals, Ala., Sears joined the Crimson Tide last season after spending the first two seasons of his career at Ohio. He then played second fiddle to lottery pick Brandon Miller in 2023 before taking over as the scoring leader on the team this season.

Sears averaged over 21 points per game for the season, the highest by an Alabama player in roughly 30 years. He's scored at least 20 points in 18 of his last 20 games, and was named first team All-SEC for his performance over the course of the year.

What was most impressive about Sears' scoring this season was the efficiency he was able to score with. He shot over 50 percent from the floor and over 43 percent from beyond the arc. He was one of eight players in all of college basketball this season to average 20 and shoot greater than 50 percent from the field, and one of only four players meet that criteria and also shoot 40 percent from deep.

The top five highest scoring seasons in Alabama history now include 2023-24 Mark Sears (748), 1978-79 Reggie King (747), 2022-23 Brandon Miller (696), 1991-92 James "Hollywood" Robinson (661), and 2017-18 Collin Sexton (631).