Alabama, Nate Oats formally announce the addition of transfer Mark Sears

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats will be dipping into the transfer portal this offseason, looking to replace a heavy set of players leaving the program this offseason. While the majority may have been role players, Oats will be wanting to bring in quality starters first and foremost, with Ohio’s Mark Sears being one.

Oats formally announced the addition of Sears on Tuesday afternoon, releasing a statement on the guard joining the program. Picking Alabama over the likes of the Auburn Tigers, Florida Gators, LSU Tigers, and Mississippi State Bulldogs, Sears was a big transfer portal win for Oats.

“We are excited to welcome Mark and his family to the Alabama basketball program,” Oats said. “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 will be joining the program as a scoring point guard, spending his entire career with the Ohio Bobcats thus far. He’s played in 59 career games, starting in 40 games, 35 of which came during the 2021-2022 season. Finishing the year with an average of 19.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, Sears is the favorite to become the starting point guard for the Crimson Tide.

If you know how Oats wants to play basketball, it’s all about the three-point shooting. Sears led Ohio in three-point percentage last season, making over 40% of his shots from behind the arc. Alabama severely missed that kind of production from their point guard last season, as Jahvon Quinerely struggled. Now, he will have the opportunity to let them fly even more often with the Alabama head coach.

Sears does have NCAA tournament experience as well, making it to the Round of 32 during the 2021 tournament as a 13-seed. Ohio was able to defeat the Virginia Cavaliers in the Round of 64 before bowing out to the Creighton Blue Jays. Sears averaged six points across those two contests.