Ohio Basketball Topic
Topic: Sears Transfer Portal?
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DJCooperBurnerAccount
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Posted: 4/3/2022 3:52 PM
Cellis033 wrote:expand_more
From League Him Instagram:

"Sears tells me that he's "looking for a school that will allow [him] to be a playmaker/floor general. A school that thrives in transition, has a great culture, and will allow [him] to lead them to a final four. He added that he's "not worried about accolades because I know all that stuff comes with winning."

Wasn't he already a playmaker / floor general here AND OU has a great culture? I understand that he wants to go to a Final Four (Sounds familiar with Simmons?!) but man. Gutted. But, being optimistic for next season. Plenty of young talent coming in and we still have the possibility of portal guys coming in.
Mark Sears isn't leading anyone to a final four
OhioCatFan
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Posted: 4/3/2022 4:41 PM
I'm kind of wondering if Sears knows of an incoming guard transfer that hasn't been announced that could potentially eat into his playing time. I also wonder if Sears is getting advice from JP the way BVP said he was. Lots of questions, very few actual answers.
SBH
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Posted: 4/3/2022 4:57 PM
Where was BVP quoted as saying that he was getting advice from JP?
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Posted: 4/3/2022 5:05 PM
Cellis033 wrote:expand_more
From League Him Instagram:

"Sears tells me that he's "looking for a school that will allow [him] to be a playmaker/floor general. A school that thrives in transition, has a great culture, and will allow [him] to lead them to a final four. He added that he's "not worried about accolades because I know all that stuff comes with winning."

Wasn't he already a playmaker / floor general here AND OU has a great culture? I understand that he wants to go to a Final Four (Sounds familiar with Simmons?!) but man. Gutted. But, being optimistic for next season. Plenty of young talent coming in and we still have the possibility of portal guys coming in.
I'm sorry but that quote makes me laugh. Once Preston left Sears was given the keys to "lead" the team, sure we may never get to a final four but still. Assuming he ends up at a higher level school (based on current team interests), here are a few questions I have...

1. How much does he actually play? (does he start?)
2. How does he compete against higher level competition (we saw how that went this year vs Good MAC teams and Kentucky/LSU)
3. Will he continue to expand/grow his game? His court vision was suspect and dribbled himself into many turnovers.

Time will tell.
Last Edited: 4/3/2022 5:08:21 PM by RufusCat09
OhioCatFan
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Posted: 4/3/2022 6:54 PM
SBH wrote:expand_more
Where was BVP quoted as saying that he was getting advice from JP?
I heard him say it in a radio interview. He said that they were in almost daily contact and the JP was giving him sound advice that helped him improve his game. JP apparently watched many of our games either live or probably more likely via ESPN+ archives. I was very impressed at JP's continuing level of engagement in the OHIO basketball program.
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
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Posted: 4/3/2022 7:19 PM
It seems I'm in the minority here, but I think Mark Sears is a very good basketball player and has a really good chance to be very good wherever he ends up.

The season didn't end the way we wanted to and I get emotions are high so it's easy to pick apart his game on the way out, but this season was his first as a lead guard in college basketball.

And he finished first team all conference, became a 40% three point shooter with a high volume of takes, and nearly averaged 20 points a game. Is he as true a point guard as previous guys we've had in the spot? No. But in today's game there's often 3 guards on the floor anyhow, so that's easy enough to cover for.

I'll take Mark Sears' 21-22 season in first year starting guard anytime. He's strong, fearless, and controls the pace of games super well. He's got an excellent change of pace game, and almost certainly would have had better assist numbers had he -- you know -- had a shooter or two on the floor with him. Everybody has this platonic ideal of a point guard in their mind, but had Sears been that this year, where would our offense have been? Would more shots for Roderick, Carter or Brown have been a good thing? In my view, we were best with the ball in Sears hands and when he looked to score. A lot of blame's being laid at Sears' feet, but our biggest challenges this season were a direct result of our personnel. We didn't have enough scoring, and we had a very shallow bench. A ton was asked of Sears, and he was consistently very good.

I think he struggles against length. But he's still a very good basketball player and will get better against length with reps. In a big conference, he'll get them. I certainly wouldn't write him off.
Last Edited: 4/3/2022 7:23:19 PM by Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
Jeff McKinney
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Posted: 4/3/2022 7:49 PM
OhioCatFan wrote:expand_more
Where was BVP quoted as saying that he was getting advice from JP?
I heard him say it in a radio interview. He said that they were in almost daily contact and the JP was giving him sound advice that helped him improve his game. JP apparently watched many of our games either live or probably more likely via ESPN+ archives. I was very impressed at JP's continuing level of engagement in the OHIO basketball program.


Come on, OCF. BVP was referring to JP advising him to work more inside on offense. That's a far cry from receiving advice from him on his business and enrollment decisions.
Jeff McKinney
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Posted: 4/3/2022 7:53 PM
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame wrote:expand_more
It seems I'm in the minority here, but I think Mark Sears is a very good basketball player and has a really good chance to be very good wherever he ends up.

The season didn't end the way we wanted to and I get emotions are high so it's easy to pick apart his game on the way out, but this season was his first as a lead guard in college basketball.

And he finished first team all conference, became a 40% three point shooter with a high volume of takes, and nearly averaged 20 points a game. Is he as true a point guard as previous guys we've had in the spot? No. But in today's game there's often 3 guards on the floor anyhow, so that's easy enough to cover for.

I'll take Mark Sears' 21-22 season in first year starting guard anytime. He's strong, fearless, and controls the pace of games super well. He's got an excellent change of pace game, and almost certainly would have had better assist numbers had he -- you know -- had a shooter or two on the floor with him. Everybody has this platonic ideal of a point guard in their mind, but had Sears been that this year, where would our offense have been? Would more shots for Roderick, Carter or Brown have been a good thing? In my view, we were best with the ball in Sears hands and when he looked to score. A lot of blame's being laid at Sears' feet, but our biggest challenges this season were a direct result of our personnel. We didn't have enough scoring, and we had a very shallow bench. A ton was asked of Sears, and he was consistently very good.

I think he struggles against length. But he's still a very good basketball player and will get better against length with reps. In a big conference, he'll get them. I certainly wouldn't write him off.
I basically agree with you, but for awhile Mark was not dishing it enough when he was driving into the paint. Later in the season, he was better on this. But his court vision and passing are areas for improvement. Overall, though, he was outstanding for Ohio and others in the MAC saw it that way, too.
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Posted: 4/3/2022 7:54 PM
RufusCat09 wrote:expand_more
From League Him Instagram:

"Sears tells me that he's "looking for a school that will allow [him] to be a playmaker/floor general. A school that thrives in transition, has a great culture, and will allow [him] to lead them to a final four. He added that he's "not worried about accolades because I know all that stuff comes with winning."

Wasn't he already a playmaker / floor general here AND OU has a great culture? I understand that he wants to go to a Final Four (Sounds familiar with Simmons?!) but man. Gutted. But, being optimistic for next season. Plenty of young talent coming in and we still have the possibility of portal guys coming in.
I'm sorry but that quote makes me laugh. Once Preston left Sears was given the keys to "lead" the team, sure we may never get to a final four but still. Assuming he ends up at a higher level school (based on current team interests), here are a few questions I have...

1. How much does he actually play? (does he start?)
2. How does he compete against higher level competition (we saw how that went this year vs Good MAC teams and Kentucky/LSU)
3. Will he continue to expand/grow his game? His court vision was suspect and dribbled himself into many turnovers.

Time will tell.
That quote doesn't necessarily mean that he didn't think that was his situation at Ohio. He's just saying that's what he also wants also at his next destination.
allen
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Posted: 4/3/2022 9:12 PM
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame wrote:expand_more
It seems I'm in the minority here, but I think Mark Sears is a very good basketball player and has a really good chance to be very good wherever he ends up.

The season didn't end the way we wanted to and I get emotions are high so it's easy to pick apart his game on the way out, but this season was his first as a lead guard in college basketball.

And he finished first team all conference, became a 40% three point shooter with a high volume of takes, and nearly averaged 20 points a game. Is he as true a point guard as previous guys we've had in the spot? No. But in today's game there's often 3 guards on the floor anyhow, so that's easy enough to cover for.

I'll take Mark Sears' 21-22 season in first year starting guard anytime. He's strong, fearless, and controls the pace of games super well. He's got an excellent change of pace game, and almost certainly would have had better assist numbers had he -- you know -- had a shooter or two on the floor with him. Everybody has this platonic ideal of a point guard in their mind, but had Sears been that this year, where would our offense have been? Would more shots for Roderick, Carter or Brown have been a good thing? In my view, we were best with the ball in Sears hands and when he looked to score. A lot of blame's being laid at Sears' feet, but our biggest challenges this season were a direct result of our personnel. We didn't have enough scoring, and we had a very shallow bench. A ton was asked of Sears, and he was consistently very good.

I think he struggles against length. But he's still a very good basketball player and will get better against length with reps. In a big conference, he'll get them. I certainly wouldn't write him off.
Sears is a very good basketball player, he is just not elite at anything except maybe foul shooting. He has a whole lot of stuff in his repertoire, but he lacks the elite quickness to create the space that he needs as a smaller guard. He could potentially commit to the wrong school and end up being a backup. He can fully develop and add to his game in Athens. I hope that he does well wherever he goes.
Last Edited: 4/3/2022 9:14:39 PM by allen
BillyTheCat
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Posted: 4/3/2022 10:07 PM
OhioCatFan wrote:expand_more
I'm kind of wondering if Sears knows of an incoming guard transfer that hasn't been announced that could potentially eat into his playing time. I also wonder if Sears is getting advice from JP the way BVP said he was. Lots of questions, very few actual answers.
You should probably stick to Ohio military history
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Posted: 4/3/2022 11:28 PM
BillyTheCat wrote:expand_more
I'm kind of wondering if Sears knows of an incoming guard transfer that hasn't been announced that could potentially eat into his playing time. I also wonder if Sears is getting advice from JP the way BVP said he was. Lots of questions, very few actual answers.
You should probably stick to Ohio military history
Insight from this post - Zero. Dis of a Bobcat loyal with no additional insight - Zero
OhioCatFan
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Posted: 4/4/2022 12:10 AM
Jeff McKinney wrote:expand_more
Where was BVP quoted as saying that he was getting advice from JP?
I heard him say it in a radio interview. He said that they were in almost daily contact and the JP was giving him sound advice that helped him improve his game. JP apparently watched many of our games either live or probably more likely via ESPN+ archives. I was very impressed at JP's continuing level of engagement in the OHIO basketball program.


Come on, OCF. BVP was referring to JP advising him to work more inside on offense. That's a far cry from receiving advice from him on his business and enrollment decisions.
Actually, when I initially made that post, I was just thinking of whether Sears was getting the same kind of advice that BVP was getting on mechanics, moves and such. However, now that you mention it, if they are in frequent contacts on these kinds of matters it seems to me quite possible that they discuss other basketball related issues as well. You disagree? You think that highly unlikely?
Last Edited: 4/4/2022 9:56:14 AM by OhioCatFan
The Optimist
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Posted: 4/4/2022 8:41 AM
allen wrote:expand_more
It seems I'm in the minority here, but I think Mark Sears is a very good basketball player and has a really good chance to be very good wherever he ends up.

The season didn't end the way we wanted to and I get emotions are high so it's easy to pick apart his game on the way out, but this season was his first as a lead guard in college basketball.

And he finished first team all conference, became a 40% three point shooter with a high volume of takes, and nearly averaged 20 points a game. Is he as true a point guard as previous guys we've had in the spot? No. But in today's game there's often 3 guards on the floor anyhow, so that's easy enough to cover for.

I'll take Mark Sears' 21-22 season in first year starting guard anytime. He's strong, fearless, and controls the pace of games super well. He's got an excellent change of pace game, and almost certainly would have had better assist numbers had he -- you know -- had a shooter or two on the floor with him. Everybody has this platonic ideal of a point guard in their mind, but had Sears been that this year, where would our offense have been? Would more shots for Roderick, Carter or Brown have been a good thing? In my view, we were best with the ball in Sears hands and when he looked to score. A lot of blame's being laid at Sears' feet, but our biggest challenges this season were a direct result of our personnel. We didn't have enough scoring, and we had a very shallow bench. A ton was asked of Sears, and he was consistently very good.

I think he struggles against length. But he's still a very good basketball player and will get better against length with reps. In a big conference, he'll get them. I certainly wouldn't write him off.
Sears is a very good basketball player, he is just not elite at anything except maybe foul shooting. He has a whole lot of stuff in his repertoire, but he lacks the elite quickness to create the space that he needs as a smaller guard. He could potentially commit to the wrong school and end up being a backup. He can fully develop and add to his game in Athens. I hope that he does well wherever he goes.
Disagreed about Sears not being elite at anything. I think he's an elite scorer. 19.6 ppg this season (28th nationally). Even in his "off-games" his lowest point total was 8 against Rice (where he hit the game-winner) and in every other game he scored double digits. As a sophomore. When you're scoring double digit points despite other teams keying on you, you are an elite scorer.

At this point, I think he's better off playing as an off-guard, but he's still young and has some time to develop.
Last Edited: 4/4/2022 8:41:43 AM by The Optimist
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Posted: 4/4/2022 8:51 AM
RSBobcat wrote:expand_more
I'm kind of wondering if Sears knows of an incoming guard transfer that hasn't been announced that could potentially eat into his playing time. I also wonder if Sears is getting advice from JP the way BVP said he was. Lots of questions, very few actual answers.
You should probably stick to Ohio military history
Insight from this post - Zero. Dis of a Bobcat loyal with no additional insight - Zero
The insight is/was, that OCF's "wondering", is totally off base and wrong.
Kevin Finnegan
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Posted: 4/4/2022 10:32 AM
I too feel that Sears is an elite scorer. He shot 40% from behind the arc and has amazing body control in getting to the hoop. I think his ball handling caused him issues, especially later in the season, when driving in the lane. If that improves, he could be near the top of the nation in scoring. It's also impressive that he scored so much as a six foot guard when the team really only had two other scoring options (BVP and Carter). I know there are a lot of issues about his assists, but I think part of that can fall on the fact that there weren't any other scoring guards to pass it to in transition often.
Bobcat1998
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Posted: 4/4/2022 2:14 PM
I am very curious to see how guys like Ezuma, Miles and, more specifically, B-Rod respond next season with our 3 ballstoppers gone. Think about our NCAA Tourney team. J-Preston, while a great scorer, was a ball "mover." Even BVP passed more with J-Preston around. Dwight, for all of his 15 ppg, was not a 6 dribble post up guy. He was a "get the ball, turn and score" guy. In his place we put Jason Carter, one of the biggest ball stoppers we have had here in a while. ANd Sears would take up 20 seconds of a shot clock just dribbling around, only to drive and find himself in no man's land with nowhere to go. He rarely penetrated and kicked. Not to say it was the reason but I can totally see where a catch-and-shoot guy like B-Rod would be affected by this change. Next year we have athletic guys like James and Brown and hopefully a transfer guard who is open to drive and kicks. I could see Sears being a loss in the short term with his 19 ppg but if B-Rod can get back to even 11 ppg or Ezuma gets some run inside at 6 ppg and we have Dwight at 15 ppg again -- Sears won't seem like such a loss.
Last Edited: 4/4/2022 2:14:56 PM by Bobcat1998
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Posted: 4/4/2022 4:11 PM
Jaaron Simmons, Jason carter? Does Sears have the same kind of future? Or is he jason Preston in the making who will have great success at a higher level?
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Posted: 4/5/2022 11:26 AM
So, what are chances, I wonder, of Sears actually transferring. Some BA pundits had Sears and BVP transferring to Butler along with Boals as the new HC. Now, everyone still assumes, it appears, that he's gone, but will that actually turn out to be the case? The track record of BA posters (myself included) is not all that great.
Last Edited: 4/5/2022 11:26:44 AM by OhioCatFan
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Posted: 4/5/2022 12:06 PM
OhioCatFan wrote:expand_more
So, what are chances, I wonder, of Sears actually transferring. Some BA pundits had Sears and BVP transferring to Butler along with Boals as the new HC. Now, everyone still assumes, it appears, that he's gone, but will that actually turn out to be the case? The track record of BA posters (myself included) is not all that great.
The two of them going to Butler with Boals was never happening, not in anyway. Is Sears still going? 99.999%. But hey, what do I know?
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Posted: 4/5/2022 12:26 PM
BillyTheCat wrote:expand_more
So, what are chances, I wonder, of Sears actually transferring. Some BA pundits had Sears and BVP transferring to Butler along with Boals as the new HC. Now, everyone still assumes, it appears, that he's gone, but will that actually turn out to be the case? The track record of BA posters (myself included) is not all that great.
The two of them going to Butler with Boals was never happening, not in anyway. Is Sears still going? 99.999%. But hey, what do I know?
Sears seems to be more mercenary than BVP. He seems to be transferring for more NIL dough (certainly not for more PT). If that's the case he's already gone, at least mentally and maybe physically, based on some of the schools that reportedly have shown interest. As for BVP, it's been said here that he's already picked out the school where he wants to be but it's been a week and nothing yet in the portal as to where he's going, so who knows.
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Posted: 4/5/2022 12:33 PM
Pataskala wrote:expand_more
So, what are chances, I wonder, of Sears actually transferring. Some BA pundits had Sears and BVP transferring to Butler along with Boals as the new HC. Now, everyone still assumes, it appears, that he's gone, but will that actually turn out to be the case? The track record of BA posters (myself included) is not all that great.
The two of them going to Butler with Boals was never happening, not in anyway. Is Sears still going? 99.999%. But hey, what do I know?
Sears seems to be more mercenary than BVP. He seems to be transferring for more NIL dough (certainly not for more PT). If that's the case he's already gone, at least mentally and maybe physically, based on some of the schools that reportedly have shown interest. As for BVP, it's been said here that he's already picked out the school where he wants to be but it's been a week and nothing yet in the portal as to where he's going, so who knows.
Has he gotten any official offers?
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Posted: 4/5/2022 1:11 PM
Cellis033 wrote:expand_more
So, what are chances, I wonder, of Sears actually transferring. Some BA pundits had Sears and BVP transferring to Butler along with Boals as the new HC. Now, everyone still assumes, it appears, that he's gone, but will that actually turn out to be the case? The track record of BA posters (myself included) is not all that great.
The two of them going to Butler with Boals was never happening, not in anyway. Is Sears still going? 99.999%. But hey, what do I know?
Sears seems to be more mercenary than BVP. He seems to be transferring for more NIL dough (certainly not for more PT). If that's the case he's already gone, at least mentally and maybe physically, based on some of the schools that reportedly have shown interest. As for BVP, it's been said here that he's already picked out the school where he wants to be but it's been a week and nothing yet in the portal as to where he's going, so who knows.
Has he gotten any official offers?
Sears or BVP? Haven't seen anything official about either of them, but there have been several legit news reports that Sears has been contacted by a slew of "P" schools and a few others. Have only seen BVP's name show up on fan sites, not anything very reliable.
Cellis033
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Posted: 4/5/2022 1:49 PM
Pataskala wrote:expand_more
So, what are chances, I wonder, of Sears actually transferring. Some BA pundits had Sears and BVP transferring to Butler along with Boals as the new HC. Now, everyone still assumes, it appears, that he's gone, but will that actually turn out to be the case? The track record of BA posters (myself included) is not all that great.
The two of them going to Butler with Boals was never happening, not in anyway. Is Sears still going? 99.999%. But hey, what do I know?
Sears seems to be more mercenary than BVP. He seems to be transferring for more NIL dough (certainly not for more PT). If that's the case he's already gone, at least mentally and maybe physically, based on some of the schools that reportedly have shown interest. As for BVP, it's been said here that he's already picked out the school where he wants to be but it's been a week and nothing yet in the portal as to where he's going, so who knows.
Has he gotten any official offers?
Sears or BVP? Haven't seen anything official about either of them, but there have been several legit news reports that Sears has been contacted by a slew of "P" schools and a few others. Have only seen BVP's name show up on fan sites, not anything very reliable.
I was asking about BVP. I saw we haven’t heard much about him since he entered the portal last week, wonder if he’s still weighing options.
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Posted: 4/5/2022 2:15 PM
I think in the long run the portal is going to even up basketball more then we have ever seen. Kentucky will be kentucky and so will the other 5 or 6 top schools. But now you are going to see guys recruiting each other to come and make a run.

Position yourself as one of the right mid majors and you will be getting a lot of kids who can really play.
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