GLENDALE, Ariz. -- You might be forgiven if you've somehow overlooked Mark Sears. Alabama's do-it-all star is the shortest player on the Crimson Tide's Final Four roster, measuring 6-foot-1. And he tends to be a touch on the quiet side, which teammates say is a by-product of his shy nature.
But there is no quiet to his game.
Sears, who began his career at the University of Ohio before transferring to Alabama in 2022, is the catalyst of a top-five Alabama team that has mastered the art of weaponizing the 3-point shot. He is the audacious head of the snake and a willing flamethrower whose bold game and limitless range has unlocked previously unrealized potential for this program and put it on the biggest stage of the sport.
"He always lets his game do the talking," teammate Sam Walter said. "From that sense, he's definitely the loudest on the team."
On the floor, Sears' game shouts at deafening levels. Even when he's not talking, his game and his example are setting the tone for this upstart Alabama team, which on Saturday plays No. 1 seed UConn for a chance to advance to its first men's basketball national championship game.
"Having a first program appearance, it's very special to soak it all in," Sears said. "We didn't come here just to be satisfied of making the Final Four. We obviously have goals and ambitions to win the whole thing."
The words "steady" and "even-keeled" come up a lot when you ask about Sears' demeanor and who he is as a person. So does "quiet" and "shy." But more than anything else, "leader" is the tag most frequently said of Alabama's unassuming superstar.
He's all of the above.
"He's the leader more by actions than words," Walter said. "We all take note of what he does and we follow his lead."
Don't conflate quiet or shy and translate that into assuming Sears lacks confidence, either. He doesn't. In fact, his quiet side and his killer side often intertwine in big moments to help make Mark Sears, Mark Sears. Because as even-keeled as he is externally, he's been known from time to time to become a different version of himself internally when he laces his shoes up and steps in between the lines.
"If someone talks trash to him," Walter said, "he'll definitely try to kill you with his actions and what he does on the court."
Teammate Mouhamed Dioubate says he's seen that up close and personal.
"Once he hears someone talking noise, he gets so mad and just becomes a different person," Dioubate says.
There are ways to creep into the head of a player and knock them off their game. But trash talk to Sears is like a performance-enhancer. While some may be rattled, it ramps up his intensity and helps take him to a new level, teammate Davin Cosby Jr. says.
"He'll just kind of shake his head and start smiling," Cosby said when opponents try poking into his head during games. "He likes to silence the haters. He doesn't really talk; he lets his game speak for itself."
Sears' game has been yapping on and on for weeks and continuously taking Alabama to new heights. It's only fitting that he's led this magical March run by staying true to himself. He's not the loudest player on the floor and far from the vocal leader. But he's slipped into a role where by default his teammates take notice of his work and his actions, and they follow.
"Ever since March, he's been even more of a leader, especially with his actions," Cosby said. "In our first NCAA Tournament game against Charleston, he won the blue collar -- that means he played the hardest, got steals, charges, deflections. Him winning that and being our leading scorer shows that he's more than just words and his actions are setting the tone."
As Alabama readied to wrestle with the reigning champion UConn Huskies, Sears, an Alabama native, was all business Friday. During on-court practice he went nearly 15 minutes between shooting drills and warmups without uttering any word beyond asking for the ball. He's not changed a bit of who he is as a leader and player. And that consistency has paid dividends for Sears and his Tide, who are now two wins away from a title and facing the challenge of the year on Saturday.
