3 Second-round prospects Wolves fans should get to know in the Final Four
By Austin McGee
2. Mark Sears, Alabama
The 11th leading scorer in all of college basketball, Mark Sears led the best offense in the nation. Sears, a transfer by the way of Ohio, averaged 21.5 points per game as a senior for the Crimson Tide.
The point guard shot 50.4 percent from the field and an impressive 43.4 percent on 5.9 triples per game. His tournament run has been nothing short of amazing. In four tournament games, Sears has averaged 24.3 points while canning 44.7 percent of his 3-pointers
In the first round, Sears dropped 30 points on the College of Charleston. His follow-up performance included 26 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists against Grand Canyon. In his most recent affairs, Sears has averaged 20.5 points and 4.5 threes while playing 39 minutes per game.
The left-handed floor general has seen comparisons to another lefty guard who dominated the college scene and is currently taking the NBA by storm. Although not a clone of Jalen Brunson, being compared to the New York Knicks star is high praise.
Like Brunson, Sears is a left-handed guard capable of scoring from everywhere on the floor. He stands at 6-foot-1 and weighs about 185 pounds—an inch shorter and five pounds less than the former Villanova star's measurements.
Unlike Brunson, Sears plays with a quicker pace and prefers to launch it from deep. Brunson's game is more predicated on a patient approach. He prefers to post up and didn't begin to take a high volume of shots from beyond the arc until he signed with the Knicks.
What sets Sears apart is his 3-point shooting ability. He's equally as comfortable off-the-catch as he is off-the-dribble. The Alabama guard uses a lightning-quick release to catch his defenders off guard. Whether his toes are on the line, or he's five feet behind it, Sears has the confidence to let it rip.
The Crimson Tide floor general is a tad undersized at 6-foot-1. Nevertheless, he competes with the necessary "undersized guard" ferocity on the defensive end. This season, Sears averaged 1.7 steals per game demonstrating his competitiveness.