Nate Oats Says Mark Sears Playing ‘Best Basketball’ of His Career
During two of Alabama’s 22 victories, the Crimson Tide’s leading scorer Mark Sears didn’t see the court and finished the game scoreless. Alabama needed Sears to step it up on the defensive end.
Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats believes that Sears has taken that next step in his development.
“Sears is playing the best basketball I’ve seen him play since he’s been here, on both sides of the ball,” Oats said. “I think he just wants to win. He came back to try to win a national championship… He’s trying to play the right way. He’s as coachable as he’s ever been and his effort on defense has been through the roof really the last three or four weeks.”
“It’s just a combination of, let’s get him to lead, let’s play the right way on both sides of the ball,” Oats said on Sears. “Give us total effort on defense. And I think he’s been doing that super happy with the way he’s been playing.”
Not only has Sears stepped it up on defense for the Crimson Tide, but in the last two games, Sears has dropped 65 points and nine assists. It was Sears’s first 30-point game of the season.
The Crimson Tide will need Sears to continue to play at a high level with three top-10 showdowns coming up at the end of the regular season. Before then, Alabama will welcome No. 21 Mississippi State to Tuscaloosa before facing No. 6 Tennessee, No. 2 Florida, and No. 1 Auburn.
