The Alabama Crimson Tide is headed to its first Final Four in program history.
Mark Sears, who has unequivocally been Alabama’s best player this season and has had an outstanding career in Crimson in his two seasons since transferring from Ohio, praised God and hard work in his postgame interview:
"Hard work is undefeated." @imcsears' lethal 3-point shooting helped @AlabamaMBB secure their first-ever Men's #FinalFour. @ALaForce spoke with him and Coach @nate_oats after the game. pic.twitter.com/DyLISHgg4w
— March Madness Men’s Basketball TV (@MM_MBB_TV) March 31, 2024
“Hard work always pays off, hard work is undefeated,” Sears said.
“Look at me, I’m 6’1″… Hard work is always undefeated. I give all the honor and glory to God.”
Sears, who has averaged more than 20 points per game this year and has been phenomenal all tournament, had a rough start to the Elite Eight matchup against Clemson.
He had just five points at the break on 2 of 11 shooting and just 1 of 7 from the three-point line.
But when Alabama needed him most, Sears caught absolute fire in the second half. He made 6 out of 7 from three and finished with 23 points to once again lead the Tide in scoring.
“I live for those moments. That’s what March Madness is about. When you’re a kid, you wanna be in these moments. And it felt like my dream came true today,” Sears said.
Head Coach Nate Oats was pulled into the interview and offered extremely high praise for Sears.
“He showed up. He always finds his way to 20. He missed however many shots and showed up big in the second half …This guy has been leading us the whole way,” Oats said.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP
