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Mark Sears Withdraws from 2024 NBA Draft, Will Return to Alabama After Final Four Run

Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerX.com LogoFeatured Columnist IVMay 29, 2024

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 30: Mark Sears #1 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates against the Clemson Tigers during the Elite Eight round of the 2024 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at Crypto.com Arena on March 30, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

Alabama star Mark Sears is withdrawing from the 2024 NBA draft pool and returning to the Crimson Tide.

"I got good feedback from the NBA," he said to ESPN's Jonathan Givony. "But I can still get better in a few areas. I want to show I am a dog on defense next season, continue to bring vocal leadership, and work on my body and get into better shape. NIL has changed basketball and NBA teams told me that age isn't a factor in today's game, so I was comfortable coming back to try and bring home a national championship to Alabama."

Sears averaged 21.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists in his second year at Alabama, helping the program reach its first-ever Final Four. During the Tide's NCAA tournament run, he put up 24.2 points per contest and shot 45.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Despite putting up nice numbers in 2023-24, the experienced guard doesn't appear to have been a sure thing in draft terms. Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman omitted Sears in his newest mock draft.

Mark Sears Withdraws from 2024 NBA Draft, Will Return to Alabama After Final Four Run
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Height is an obvious consideration for the 5'11" playmaker, and, despite what he told Givony, his age is probably working against him too.

The advent of the NIL era has made it much easier for players in Sears' position to stay in college rather than embarking into the unknown with the pros. During the upcoming campaign, he can further refine his game and potentially win over more NBA talent evaluators while cashing some endorsement checks.

Keeping Sears in the backcourt will boost Alabama's bid to return to the Final Four and achieve even more in 2024-25. The Crimson Tide already retained forward Grant Nelson, who was their leading rebounder (5.9 boards) while averaging 11.9 points.

Head coach Nate Oats has also assembled the No. 2 class in 247Sports' 2024 composite team rankings. Small forward Derrion Reid and power forward Aiden Sherrell are both 5-star high school recruits.

Alabama unquestionably will have the talent to make another deep run in the Big Dance.

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