Alabama's Mark Sears will withdraw from the NBA draft and return to school for his final season of eligibility, he told ESPN on Wednesday.
“I got good feedback from the NBA,” Sears told ESPN. “But I can still improve in some areas. I want to prove that I'm a dog on defense next season, continue to provide vocal leadership and work on my body and get in better shape. NIL has changed basketball and NBA teams told me that “That age is not a factor in today's game, so I felt comfortable coming back to try to bring a national championship to Alabama.”
The NCAA deadline for players to withdraw from the NBA draft and maintain college eligibility is Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. ET.
In addition to Sears, Alabama's Jarin Stevenson also pulled his name out of the draft before the deadline, a source told ESPN. Stevenson averaged 5.3 points as a freshman last season.
Sears was one of the best players in college basketball in 2023-24, earning second-team All-American and first-team All-SEC honors. He led Alabama to the Final Four, with several notable appearances in the NCAA tournament.
The Alabama native averaged 21.5 points (44% from 3-point range), 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists, leading one of the most potent and fastest-paced offenses in the country.
Sears made a significant jump from the previous year, becoming a much more dynamic shooter and a prolific overall scorer, something he believes will continue in his fifth season of college basketball.
“I've gotten better every year and next season will be no different,” Sears said. “I tried the Final Four and now I want to finish it and take it home.”
Sears' return to Tuscaloosa is a boon for Nate Oats' Crimson Tide, who will enter the season as an early favorite to win the national championship.
Alabama returns another March Madness favorite in Grant Nelson for his final season of eligibility, arguably Sears' strongest competition for preseason SEC Player of the Year, as well as part-time starter Latrell Wrightsell Jr.
The Tide landed one of the portal's biggest transfers: Rutgers center Cliff Omoruyi, as well as USF wing and AAC co-player of the year Chris Youngblood, former five-star point guard Aden Holloway of Auburn and guard Houston Mallette of Pepperdine.
Oats will also have several talented high school recruits in Derrion Reid, Labaron Philon, Aiden Sherrell and Naas Cunningham.
“I'm very excited about the team we have,” Sears said. “I'm going to have to do a good job of leading these guys in the right direction. I'm confident we can win the national championship.”
Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analysis service used by the NBA, NCAA and international teams.
