Alabama star Mark Sears returned to the starting lineup for the No. 4 Crimson Tide on Wednesday night in their road contest at No. 14 Mississippi State after he was benched for the entire second half in Saturday’s win over LSU. Sears, who was the CBS Sports Preseason Player of the Year, was held scoreless in 17 first half minutes against the Tigers before coach Nate Oats opted to send a message by sitting his leading scorer.
Oats shed further light on the thought process behind his controversial decision during a Wednesday appearance on The Next Round before the Crimson Tide took on the Bulldogs in an SEC battle.
“Sometimes you need somebody to push you a little bit,” Oats said. “I try to read the proverb of the day. It tells you if as a parent, you love your son, you discipline him. I love Mark. Sometimes we need to push him a little bit. I think he understands we’re just trying to push him, make him better, and I think he’s going to be a lot better for it.”
Sears spearheaded Alabama’s Final Four run last season, averaging 21.5 points on a blistering 43.6% 3-point shooting while earning All-American honors. Entering Wednesday’s top-15 road showdown, Sears was averaging 18.1 points on 34.8% 3-point shooting.
While his shooting percentages have dipped, Oats suggested in his appearance on The Next Round that it was not offensive factors that led to Sears’ benching.
“He can also really guard when he puts his mind to it,” Oats said. “He can also lead, which he’s shown this year when decides that’s what he wants to do. We need his leadership. We need his defensive ability. We need his play-making ability to be the best team we can be. They all know it, they all love him. They’re trying to make him better. They’re trying to help him out. I think we’ve got a real good group of guys.”
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